More Stars Than There Are In Heaven
by sawyerzelda
Summary: a romeo & juliet story set in hollywood, 1942. the screen's biggest family rivals are all cast in a movie together. what happens when the two leads fall in love? rules and families may tear them apart.
1. Norma Shearer's Party

Disclaimer: i do not own any zelda characters. i also do not own the names of any movie stars i may use but that doesnt matter b/c i doubt any of u will even know who they r and no offense if u do.  
  
anywho, heres the story: The two biggest rivaling families in Hollywood are put in a movie together. Their youngest children (namely link and zelda) are cast as two lovers and, as u knew they would, they fall in love. link, a married man whose wife is somewhat abusive and addicted to drugs, doesn't know what to do. zelda is angered when the studio boss doesnt approve of the relationship. WHAT HAPPENS?!?!?! read on 2 find out!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Honey, hurry it up!" said Shirley, a.k.a the famous Mrs. Robert Harker. "We'll be late for Norma's birthday party! And I heard that Judy Garland will be performing!"  
  
"Comin'!" her son Link said hastily, putting on his formal jacket and hurrying into the limousine. "Okay Frank, hit it!"  
  
Frank, the official chauffer, pressed down on the gas pedal, and the famous Harker family was off. Off to another one of Norma Shearer's luxurious birthday parties. They were always on the guest list.  
  
A phone in the back of the car rang. Robert leaned over to pick it up. "Hello? Yes, this is Mr. Robert Harker, may I be of ser--they did wha-- you can't be serious. You ARE serious." There was a long silence as the person on the other phone explained something. The movie star sighed with annoyance. "Hold on a moment, please."  
  
"What is it, dear?" asked Shirley.  
  
"That was Joan Fontaine on the phone," answered Robert. "She's going to the party, too. And guess who Norma's been doing her last movie with?"  
  
"Who?" asked the car of people.  
  
"None other than Harry Jones," Robert replied. "And she liked him so much as a co-star, Norma's gone and invited their whole ruddy family to her birthday party."  
  
"Not those Joneses!" sighed Shirley. "I hate that stuck-up, flashy family who thinks they're better than everyone else JUST because their family's been in the buisiness longer than anyone else's." She paused. "We simply won't go."  
  
"Oh mother, don't be ridiculous!" whined their daughter, Saria. "Really! Skipping out on a fine party just because of a family that's going to be there! It's not as if you have to socialize with them or anything. Just ignore them."  
  
"And why are you so fond of the Joneses all of a sudden?" demanded Robert.  
  
"Who said I was fond of them?" asked Saria. "I merely want to go to Norma's party! Errol Flynn will be there!"  
  
"Good point," said Shirley. "Um. . .Robert, I think we've left Joan on the phone long enough."  
  
"Oh yes," said Robert. "Oops. I hung up on her by accident."  
  
"Oh well," said Link. "She knew we'd end up coming anyway."  
  
**************  
  
A few minutes later, the Harker family arrived at Norma Shearer's home.  
  
"Robert! Shirley, How good of you all to come!" Norma greeted them, sweeping into the entrance hall. "And Saria--looking just as lovely as ever! Link, you handsome thing you, you're destined for stardom!"  
  
"But then--he's already a star!" said Robert. The group of them laughed, as they all followed Norma into the main living room.  
  
"Oh, no!" breathed Zelda, tugging on the sleeve of her mother. "Look darling, those awful Harkers have been invited."  
  
"Norma can have such horrid taste sometimes," sighed her mother Madeline, a.ka. the famous Mrs. John Paul Jones. "We'll just have to ignore them, that's all. You know they hate us."  
  
"Yes, I do," sighed Zelda. She stared at Link's profile as he started up a conversation with Richard Vey. "But I must say--their son Link has quite an air about him." She smirked. "I wonder if he'd recognize me."  
  
"Now don't you go throwing yourself at that young man," said Madeline. "Even if he doesn't recognize you, his mother will. And who in this room wouldn't recognize YOU, YOU of all people. Wasn't it your movie that was the sensation of last year, darling?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose so," Zelda sighed.  
  
"And if it hadn't been for that dreadful 'How Green Was My Valley' your picture would've won!"  
  
"And if it hadn't been for that dreadful Joan Fontaine I'd have won Best Actress, is that so?" Zelda asked sarcastically, swishing her cigarette holder.  
  
"Oh, that's besides the point," Madeline said hastily. "But you know there's more than one man here tonight that would die with a smile on their face if you talked to them for more than one minute. And besides dear, that Link Harker is already marr--"  
  
"I know, mother, I know," Zelda interrupted, laughing hoarsley. "You needn't worry about a thing, dear. Besides, I was just having a little fun. The chance of me getting the tiniest bit close to that man are a million to one. For a few reasons: One, I can't stand him--he's just handsome--two, he's already married, and I don't even see his wife anywhere--she must've stayed home; and three: my heart belongs to another."  
  
"Really?" Madeline asked excitedly. "Who is it dear, who is it? Clark Gable?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Errol Flynn?"  
  
"Nope, I'm letting Olivia have her fun with him."  
  
"Then who is it, dear?"  
  
Zelda pointed her cigarette holder at a man brooding in one of the corners. "That big guy over there."  
  
Madeline gasped. "Gannondorf Loxley?! That old brute?"  
  
"Mother, I'm shocked at you! I'm sure that deep down inside, Ganon is much more considerate than he appears. I'm sure that directors are always grouchy, anyway. It's part of their nature sometimes."  
  
"If you don't mind my asking, Zelda, just how did you become fixated on him anyway?"  
  
"I don't know, he just seems like a nice guy to me," stated Zelda. "Sort of. And besides, he's rather handsome, don't you think?"  
  
"Erm. . ." Madeline wrinkled her nose. "If you say so, dear. I'd better be going."  
  
'I've never even spoken to Gannondorf,' Zelda said to herself. She sighed. 'Well, I might as well start now.' She began to make her way through the crowded room.  
  
Link, meanwhile, was trying to find Greer Garson. He wanted to congratulate her on the role she'd just won, but she was no where to be found. No wait, there she was on the other side of the room, talking with the good ol' birthday gal. Link began to navigate his way through the crowd.  
  
"Oof!" grunted Zelda, bumping into someone unexpectedly. She dropped the small box she'd been holding in her hand (Norma's birthday present).  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss," apologized the man she'd ran into. "Please, allow me." He bent down to pick up the box, then slowly stood straight. He stared into her face and blushed.  
  
"Link Harker," Zelda said breathlessly, taking the box as he handed it to her. "I'm sorry, forgive me. I--I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
"The fault lies with me as well," Link said. After another few awkward seconds, the two of them sped off in their seperate directions.  
  
"Zelda!" called out John Paul (her father, remember), grabbing her elbow. "What have I told you about fraternizing with any of those Harkers??"  
  
"I wasn't socializing, father," Zelda sniffed. "I merely bumped into him, and he apologized like a true gentleman." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly--the way you talk about him and his family, you'd think they weren't human!"  
  
John decided to change the subject. "Do you know where your mother is?"  
  
"No, not really. I was talking to her a moment ago, but we split up."  
  
"I see."  
  
Dinner was served about an hour later. Zelda sat down at the long table between her parents. Several butlers filed into the room after all the guests had sat down. Next to each guest was placed an enormous platter of food.  
  
"My goodness Norma," laughed Shirley. "This certainly does look like a good meal."  
  
"Dear, this is only the first course," said Norma.  
  
"It IS?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You're not part Italian, are you?" The two of them laughed at the joke.  
  
"Don't get me started about Italian food," said Judy Garland, rolling her eyes and leaning over to talk to Zelda. "Once I went to one of those benefit dinners, and the head of the association was Italian. First there was tomatoes and cheese with bread. Then came the big loafs of bread--as opposed to the small slices we'd been served earlier. After that was the pasta strudle thing--"  
  
"Was it good?" questioned Zelda.  
  
"It was divine," answered Judy. "But anyhow--I thought that was the main course. The last part of the dinner. So I took two helpings of it. But after that came the salad and the potatoes. Then there was the chicken and beef, and they topped it off with two pineapple upside-down cakes with whipped cream."  
  
"My word!" laughed Zelda.  
  
"No wait--after that they brought out a package of cookies."  
  
"Talk about extravagant cooking," Zelda giggled. "You must've had a terrible stomache ache when you were done."  
  
"Oh the food was to die for, don't get me wrong," said Judy. "There was just too much of it. I didn't have to eat for the next two days. Oops, that reminds me." Judy Garland took a small bottle out of her pocket. She dumped some pills into her gloved hand and quickly placed them in her mouth. The star gulped down some water, then swallwed loudly.  
  
"What in heaven's name were those?" asked Zelda.  
  
"Slimming pills," Judy said in a whisper, leaning across the table. "Louis B. Meyer wants me just as trim and bright as a button when I appear in front of that camera. I can't stand them." She sighed. "I swear, they'll be the death of me some day."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's fine," laughed Zelda, patting Judy's hand.  
  
"I know," said Judy, smiling. "If it wasn't, I know Mr. Meyer wouldn't give them to me. He always knows what's best for his little starlets like us!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: well, thats chapter one. a bit confusing, isn't it? plz tell me what i should clarify in ur reviews. also, if u want 2 know what these movie stars look like so u can get a mental picture of them in ur head (they probly will come up again later), go to. . .idk, google images!! and btw, louis b. meyer was the old stuido head of mgm ..... not a very nice guy. dont 4get 2 review!! 


	2. Auditions and Lunch with Mrs Miniver

next chappie, people! plz enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda woke up the next morning to hear her mother shouting loudly into the telephone. Stretching, Zelda got out of her bed and walked across the room to her parent's room. This is what she saw:  
  
John Paul lay in the bed, his pillow placed tightly over his head. Madeline was screaming something into the phone.  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE EVEN THINK ABOUT GIVING THAT PART TO SHIRLEY HARKER!!! YOU WAIT FOR ME TO GET DOWN THERE, AND I'LL SHOW YOU A REAL ACTRESS!!! THE REAL McCOY!! SO I'LL--OF COURSE I WILL, YOU IDIOT!! AND THE REST OF--yes, they'll all come. See you in just a few minutes." Madeline slammed the phone back onto its cradle.  
  
"Mother, what's going on?" Zelda yawned, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"This is the chance we've been waiting for!" said Madeline excitedly, a malicious glint in her eye. "A new script that's got enough parts for the three of us!"  
  
"Wonderful," Zelda said. "What's the story about?"  
  
"It's an adaptation of the play 'Audrey and the City Thief.'"  
  
"Audrey?" Zelda repeated. She laughed. "It sounds like the name of a soft drink. But that play's gotten pretty good reviews. A part in the movie could be pretty good publicity, mother. And I'll bet it pays well."  
  
"I know, I know!" Madeline said. "Help me get your father out of bed." She struggled to lift the pillow out of his left hand, then shouted into his ear, "JOHN PAUL JONES, YOU GET OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!!!!"  
  
"All right, all right, I'm up!" sighed John. "What is it?"  
  
"Auditions! We've got to get there before the Harkers do!" Madeline replied, throwing a suit at her husband.  
  
"Wait a moment, mother," Zelda said, reality starting to click in.  
  
"What is it, dear?"  
  
"Doesn't Audrey have two really important families in it?"  
  
"Yes, I hear the Barrymores are trying out for the other," Madeline answered.  
  
"But. . .I thought the Barrymores decided no more family gigs after 'Rasputin and The Empress', and--mother, what if the Harkers get there and they want the part of the other family? They've got a foursome, and a fivesome if Robert's mother joins them. And five's the golden number."  
  
"Oh NO!" gasped Madeline. "JOHN PAUL GET OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT AND GET DRESSED!!" She ran over to her dresser and started to brush her hair. "Zelda, we're getting those parts if it's the last thing I do!!"  
  
"The last thing you do?" Zelda asked.  
  
"Yes, so hurry up and get ready to go!! They want us over at the studio as soon as possible! Why don't you wear that, uh--IMPA!!! IMPA!!!"  
  
The head maid of the household heard her name being shouted and walked into the room. "Yes, ma'am?"  
  
"We're leaving quickly for an audition, Impa," said Madeline, still distractedly brushing her hair. "You know that blue dress of Zelda's that I bought for her the other day? Would you be so kind as to have it pressed and ready to be worn as soon as you can?"  
  
"At once, madame," Impa obliged, exiting the room.  
  
"Mother, my blue dress??" Zelda asked. "You really want this part, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, just like any wise actress! And besides--you know who the director of the film is, Zelda?"  
  
"Who, Minelli?"  
  
"Gannondorf Loxley!!"  
  
"Well, mother I'm off to change!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Twenty minutes later, the Jones clan had arrived at the MGM studio. Another two hours later, they had all auditioned for their seperate roles.  
  
"Why don't we all eat breakfast on the lot, since we're here?" Madeline suggested. "We can give Impa and the others a rest."  
  
John Paul shrugged. "Sounds good to me."  
  
While exiting the audition room, the three of them saw the Harkers stepping out of their limousine. Saria and Link briskly walked past them, trying their best to ignore and be ignored.  
  
"Loxley would never in his life hire an idiot like you," John Paul sneered at Robert. "You dirt--you've never even been nominated!"  
  
"Well, Academy Awards weren't always given to the right people, you know," Robert snarled as his Oscar-winning opponent.  
  
"Trying out for the role of the heroine's mother, Harker?" Madeline inquired of Shirley.  
  
"No," Shirley snapped. "But for the hero's mother. She's a villain."  
  
"I suppose that a villainous part is easy for you," Madeline said. "You don't even have to act!"  
  
"That's not it, Jones," Shirley growled. "Evil people. . .you never forget them." She rose her head nobly. "And that's the aim of any actress-- never to be forgotten."  
  
"No one will forget you, that's for sure," Zelda chuckled. "Who could forget Hollywood's biggest flop?"  
  
Shirley fumed as Robert attempted to steer her into the auditioning studio. "Just a moment." She turned towards Zelda and Madeline. "You know, there's a name for women like you. However, it isn't used in high society...." She turned on her heel and began walking away as she finished her sentence: "....outside of a kennel."  
  
Zelda and Madeline gaped after her, speechless. "That steel-hearted woman's got a lot of nerve!" the former growled, clenching her fists. "If it weren't for my reputation, I'd knock her head right off her shoulders!!!"  
  
"Don't even consider it, dear," Madeline said. "We could never lower ourselves to that stage!"  
  
"You're right, mother," Zelda sighed, as they walked away. "Oh wait, I'm afraid that I can't eat lunch with you two. I promised Greer Garson I'd dine with her at the Brown Derby. I'd better get going, or else I'll be late!"  
  
"Very well, we'll see you later darling," Madeline called after her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You look beautiful," Link said to absolutely no one. "I wish I could just take you up in my arms right now and kiss you."  
  
"Well, why don't you?" asked a woman off screen.  
  
He hesitated, then said, "Dance with me first, Audrey. . .once."  
  
"Cut!" called a voice. Gannondorf leapt off of his director's seat and walked up to Link. "Harker, that was swell! Just fine, it really was! And if Errol Flynn ends up not showing for the auditions, I'll bet the part is in the bag for you!"  
  
"You really think so?" Link asked, starting to smile.  
  
"Sure!" Gannondorf said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I've just got to talk it over with my crew in a meeting today, then I'll call you as soon as we let you know!" He leaned closer, then whispered, "But if I were you, I wouldn't hurry off to another audition for a while!"  
  
"Thanks," Link said, shaking Ganon's hand. "I'll see you later."  
  
Meanwhile, at the Brown Derby.....  
  
"Zelda!" called out Greer. "Zelda dear, I'm over here!" (a/n: woah, 3 words that rhymed in just almost one sentence. just so u people know, greer garson was a widely acclaimed actress from this time period and i just want u 2 get used to hearing her name b/c she is going to be a major character).  
  
"Good afternoon, Greer," Zelda greeted her, sitting down in the booth. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"Nothing, really," Greer answered. "I just wanted to spend lunch with my best friend... And I wanted to tell you about the part I just got!"  
  
"Tell, tell!" Zelda gasped.  
  
"Well," Greer said, leaning closer. "I'd better whisper, so none of these other tourists hear what I'm going to tell you. . .you know that book that Jan Struther wrote a while ago, called 'Mrs. Miniver'?"  
  
"Yes," Zelda said excitedly.  
  
"They decided to make it into a movie!" Greer continued. "Norma Shearer was offered the title role, but she turned it down. I think she's trying to prove to Crawford that she doesn't need to depend on her husband for good roles. Anyway, I tried out for the part, and I got it!"  
  
"No kidding! Wow Greer, that's great! I just came from an audition myself."  
  
"Really? What for?"  
  
"It's based on that Broadway smash called Audrey and the City Thief."  
  
"You tried out for the part of Audrey, I assume?" Greer laughed as Zelda nodded. "What else?"  
  
"My mother and father auditioned, too," Zelda added. "As we were leaving, we saw the Harkers walking in. We can only assume that they want parts too, the dirty sewer rats!"  
  
"Zelda, you really shouldn't speak of them that way," Greer scolded lightly. "I've made a film with both Saria and Link before, and they're really very nice people. Now is there any reasonable reason as to why you don't like them?"  
  
Shrugging, Zelda said, "My parents have always hated them, and so I grew up hating them, too. I barely even know the lot of them! But, as everybody knows, we're the two biggest rivals in Hollywood, so. . ."  
  
"I understand," Greer sighed. "But don't feel down, Zel, you seem a little depressed about something. What is it?"  
  
"It's nothing," Zelda sighed. "But I have a reason for disliking that Shirley Harker. You know what she said to me and my mother just a few minutes ago?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Zelda was about to answer, when she noticed Shirley Temple sitting right in the next booth. She leaned closer to Greer and whispered something.  
  
"NO!" Greer shouted. Zelda nodded glumly. "That's a terrible thing to do! How could anyone ever say such a thing to you, of all people, Zelda? You're one of the nicest people I know!"  
  
"Thanks, Greer," Zelda sighed. "It's nice to know I've got friends in the world I can depend on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The telephone rang the next afternoon. Impa crossed the hall and answered it. "Hello? Yes, this is the John Paul Jones residence, may I help you? Yes, hold on one moment please." Impa carefully placed the phone on the table and hurried down the steps.  
  
"I heard the phone ring, Impa, who is it?" asked Madeline from the next room.  
  
"It's Mr. Loxley, ma'am," Impa answered. "He'd like to speak with you."  
  
"It must be about the part! Zelda, get on the other line! Gannondorf is on the telephone!"  
  
Madeline flew up the stairs and picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Madeline?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's Ganon. I've talked it over with the others, and after seeing Barbara Stanwyck, we decided we want you in Audrey."  
  
"REALLY?! I GET THE PART?!"  
  
"It's yours for the taking!"  
  
"That's the most wonderful news I've heard all day! Oh, thank you, Mr. Loxley!!"  
  
"No need to thank me. Is John Paul there?"  
  
"No, he's gone out to visit one of his friends who has the flu. Oh Ganon--Mr. Loxley, did he get his part?"  
  
"Well, not really," answered Gannondorf. "I know he auditioned for the role of your husband, Madeline, but we gave it to someone else. However, we've decided we want him to play the father of the male lead. I know that it wasn't his first choice, but I can just see John Paul playing it."  
  
"I'm pretty sure he'll take the role," Madeline said. "But let me speak to him first, and then I'll call you back. Was that all, Mr. Loxley?"  
  
"Hold on, is Zelda there?" Gannondorf asked.  
  
"Yes!" Zelda blurted into the telephone, her heart pumping wildly.  
  
Gannondorf chuckled to himself at her excitement. "Zelda, after careful consideration, we've decided we want you to play Audrey."  
  
Zelda jumped in the air and landed as loudly as she could. "I got it??"  
  
"Yep," Ganon answered. "Greer Garson told me she had wanted the part, but then she stepped out to do Mrs. Miniver."  
  
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Loxley!"  
  
"Don't thank me. Just make sure you and your mother--and your father, if he wants the part--to come to the studio tomorrow evening around five o'clock. I want the cast to meet each other, so they can kind of have a feel for the characters, and maybe we'll glance at the script. Got it?"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Good. 'Bye!"  
  
"Good-bye, Mr. Loxley!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Father, I did it!" Link shouted, slamming the phone onto its reciever and running into his father's den. "I just got called from Ganon, and he wants me to play the male lead in Audrey and the City Thief!"  
  
"That's excellent news, son," said Robert getting out of his chair. "Ganon spoke to me, too--said he wants me to play Audrey's Uncle. They decided to take the father out of the picture, but I don't know why. Makes no sense. Anyway, I'm very proud of you, son."  
  
"Thanks, father," Link said, grinning widely. "He's speaking to Saria now--I'll bet she's getting her part too!"  
  
"I certainly hope so," Robert said. "I've always wanted to be in one of those family pictures."  
  
"I think that this is your chance! So let's not forget--tomorrow evening at the studio by five!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
well that was the second chapter and i hope u liked it so plz review!!!!!!! WHEE!!!  
  
PLEASE dont get stressed out about the movie stars....just think about them as characters in the story. just b/c u havent heard of them is no reason 2 b confused!!! 


	3. Din, Mr Meyer, and Bogie

heres chapter 3, sry 4 that confusion earlier!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Several wardrobe changes later, it was five o'clock the next day. Zelda's dress was a shimmering golden color, and it went down to her ankles. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, and she also wore a long silver necklace.  
  
Madeline, on the other hand, was donning a large and ridiculous feathered hat, and was dressed in high-heeled black shoes, and swishing around a cigarette in a cigarette holder to increase her sex appeal.  
  
John Paul was dressed in a simple tux, looking very sharp for a man his age. He held a box of cigars in one hand, and stuffed it into his pocket. "Ready, ladies? Let's go! The limo's waiting!"  
  
"So do we know who else is going to be in the picture?" Zelda asked as they started driving along the ride. "I heard that Errol Flynn is trying out for my opposite!" She squealed in excitment. "I meant to ask Loxley when he called, but I was too thrilled to remember to inquire about it."  
  
"I guess we'll just have to find out once we get there," Madeline sighed, grinning widely from ear to ear.  
  
As they pulled into the studio, Zelda said, "Mother, isn't that the Harker's limousine over there?"  
  
Madeline leaned over John Paul and looked out her window as their car came to a stop. "Je-zoos! It IS! Don't tell me they're in the pic--"  
  
"They must be," Zelda sighed, getting out of the car. "Why else would they be here?" Something told her they weren't here for a casting call.  
  
She was about to run over and start yelling at them, when she remembered Greer's words: 'I've made a film with both Saria and Link before, and they're really very nice people.' Taking a deep breath, Zelda walked over to them and smiled.  
  
"Good evening," she said in a higher voice than usual, addressing Saria and Link. "Are you two here for. . .the. . ."  
  
"Yes," Link said in a rather uncomfortable voice. "We. . .are."  
  
"If it's not out of my place, where's Malon?" Zelda asked sweetly, inquiring about Link's wife. "I had hoped to see her here." That could've easily been the biggest lie Zelda had ever told.  
  
"She's taken rather ill, unfortunately," Link answered, noticing that the rest of his family and Zelda's were walking ahead of them. "Uh. . .I think that it's time we get going in there. . ."  
  
"Oh yes," she said quickly.  
  
"Loxley must've been a tad drunk when he saw you audition, dearie," Madeline snarled to Shirley in an undertone, curling her lip. "Bette Davis would've beaten you to a pulp to get this part if she hadn't already signed on to that RKO picture."  
  
"Well she did sign onto it, didn't she?" Shirley said, equally brutal. "But you'd better act pretty hard if you want to be convincing as a loving, caring mother."  
  
Madeline growled, not able to think up a quick response.  
  
The men, meanwhile, were having their own little feud. Names were exchanged, such us "worm," "monkey," "Clark Gable imposter" and "upstart." Saria, on the other hand, stood somewhat distanced from the others, quiet and diminutive.  
  
"Well, I'm so glad you were all able to make it," Ganon said to them warmly, once they had all been seated. Murmurs were exchanged throughout the other cast members as the Joneses sat opposite the Harkers. Gannondorf cleared his throat, then said, "Now that we've all arrived, I suppose that dinner can be started."  
  
Zelda looked around the table at all the familiar faces: There were the sisters Nayru and Farore, undoubtedly playing the characters of Audrey's two closest friends; Darunia had struck up a conversation with Link, and had probably ended up getting the part of Link's brother, and yet there was one face she didn't recognize. . .  
  
"I'm sorry," Zelda said, leaning over the table to a girl with flaming red hair. "I don't recognize you, are you. . .new?"  
  
"Oh, Zelda Jones, I'm sorry for not introducing myself!" the girl said, dropping her fork and shaking Zelda's hand. Zelda noticed that she spoke with a bit of an English accent. "I only just got my contract a couple weeks ago, and this is my first picture! My name's Din."  
  
"A last name?" Zelda asked.  
  
Din shrugged. "I don't have one. I'm foreign, you see, and no one could pronounce my last name. No one could think of a good new one for me either, so they decided to leave me last-nameless." (a/n: like Cher!)  
  
"I suppose you didn't want it changed, like I did," Zelda said.  
  
"No, I didn't," Din answered. Then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute. . .your real name is Zelda?"  
  
"Nope," Zelda answered. "Oh, how I hate my old name! It was dispicable!"  
  
"What--" Din caught herself mid-sentence, and looked down.  
  
Zelda smiled and whispered, "It used to be Mildred."  
  
"M-Mildred??" Din asked incredulously. "That's not. . .that bad, is it?"  
  
"It's not a show-buisiness name, good or not." She sighed. "How they came to pick the name Zelda, I have no idea. But I've always hated the name Mildred for myself and Zelda seemed to suit me much better. I don't really like to talk about it much, if you know what I mean."  
  
Din nodded. "I won't tell anybody."  
  
Zelda smiled. "Good." She shivered. 'Mildred! UGH!'  
  
"Glad you could get onto this picture, boy," Darunia said in a low voice, slapping Link on the shoulder. "I've made one film with your father before, and it'll be nice to do one with his son!"  
  
"The pleasure's all mine, I'm sure," Link said, smiling. "I've been wondering if they'd ever make this play into a movie once I saw it on Broadway. . .then I heard that they were, and I jumped at the chance to audition for the part."  
  
"Oh, Link," Darunia said, sitting back and putting an arm around the man next to him. "Have you formally met Bogie, here?" He nodded his head at Humphrey Bogart, one of the most famous gangster actors of the era.  
  
"So you're the famous Link Harker, are ya?" asked Humphrey, leaning over to shake Link's hand. "Your dad's a swell guy, you know that? Never made a picture with him before, but we've hung around the lot sometimes."  
  
"Don't you have a contract with Warner Brothers, Humphrey?" Link asked.  
  
"Yeah," Bogart answered, grinning and showing his teeth. "But they lent me out for this picture; it's supposed to be a punishment for disgracing the studio. You see, I had just finished a fight with my wife, and I was drunken and angry. When I came out of a bar, some journalists and photogrophers got in my way. I was tired and annoyed, so I knocked one of those sunuvabishes right offa his feet!"  
  
He and Darunia laughed as Link studied what he'd just said. Bogart spoke with a deep, slightly slurred voice, and he wouldn't be surprised if the actor was drunk now. But he couldn't be. . .he wasn't.  
  
"After seeing your movies, I wouldn't have expected you to do one like this," Link said after a while.  
  
"You kiddin'?" Humphrey chuckled. "I get to play your mother's guy. Ya know, the one she ain't married to. Oughtta make a good movie, I think." He looked around. "Yep, this'll be an interesting picture once it's finished."  
  
"I should hope so," Link said. "Hey look, its Meyer."  
  
When he said Meyer, Link was referring to the King of the lot, head of the studio, Louis B. Meyer. His word was law. Gannondorf said that he had come here to check up on every body, and had brought their official copies of the scripts.  
  
"I know you're all just swell people," Mr. Meyer said. "I have a lot of faith in you, and in this picture you're making. If we pull the ropes right. . ." He took a loud puff on his huge cigar. "This oughtta be a hit at Oscar night!"  
  
The cast applauded. "Nice to have such a loving boss," remarked Nayru to her sister. "Where would we be without him?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
short i know but i wanted 2 have a scene w/ just that dinner part!!  
  
btw, like greer garson, humphrey bogart will become a regular in this story. they r the only 2 actors i will probly ask u 2 remember....and btw, they r also both very cool and i recommend their movies 2 everyone!! plz review!! 


	4. A Job Well Done

heres more o this story, ppl!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Thank heaven," sighed Madeline, putting a hand over her chest. "I have no scenes where I have to sleep with that monster, Robert Harker, so far."  
  
"For Pete's sake, mother," sighed Zelda. "You know they'd never have a scene like that in the movies! It simply isn't allowed!"  
  
The Joneses were all seated in their living room, looking over the script for the film together.  
  
Madeline gulped down some of her sherry. "If the pay wasn't so good, I never would've accepted a role opposite the Harker family!"  
  
"In that case," snarled John Paul. "YOU ARE A FOOL!" Zelda and Madeline stared at him. He blinked at them. "I'm reading off the script," he explained hastily. "Don't get the wrong idea."  
  
"Oh," Zelda said, leaning back in her chair with a relieved sigh. She turned back to her script, then bolted upwards and shouted, "YAAAAH!!!! NOT AGAIN!!"  
  
"What is it?" Madeline asked.  
  
"How far are you in the script?" Zelda asked.  
  
"I'm only on page forty-three, on account of my getting up constantly to get a refill on my drink. Tonight of all nights is Impa's day off..."  
  
"I've gotten to ninety-nine," said John Paul. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well I'm on page 130," Zelda growled. "And so far Audrey's had two kissing scenes with Cody!"  
  
"What's the matter with that?" Madeline asked. "It makes the whole atmosphere of the film very romantic. And why is that bad?"  
  
"What's the MATTER with it?!" erupted Zelda. "MOTHER, have you forgotten already that I'm playing Audrey and that that Link Harker character is playing Cody?! This means I've got to kiss that scoundrel! MORE THAN ONCE!"  
  
Madeline leaned forward and squeezed her daughter's hand. "Zelda. . .I feel for you. Be strong, child." Had the situation not been so serious, it would've been hilarious.  
  
Zelda groaned and leaned back in her chair. "For the first time in my life, I think I've actually grasped what it means to be an actress. Surely this will be the hardest job I've ever had in my life."  
  
"I think that those Harkers are doing this just to spite us," said John Paul. "Those dirty bloodhounds are just waiting for a chance to steal a film from right under our noses!"  
  
"Dear, you give them much too much credit," Madeline said. "Those green horns couldn't steal a picture if their life depended on it. Come on then, no more pouting. A job is a job, and that's that. We mustn't get down."  
  
'I wonder how long this approach will last,' Zelda thought to herself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I trust that by now, you all have had a good grasp of the story," said Gannondorf, pacing in front of his group of actors. "And that is why I have called you all to this first rehearsal. Now that we've all had a script-reading together, it's time to start the real thing. Perhaps if we're lucky, we'll start shooting today. At the latest, tomorrow." He stroked his chin, trying to think if he'd forgotten anything. "Well, that's all. Off to wardrobe everyone, and meet back at SoundStage 12 within the hour."  
  
There was a scuffle of chairs as the group of them headed off to the wardrobe department.  
  
"Oh, I DO hope we start filming today!" exclaimed Shirley, bouncing along next to Saria as they walked their way. "Wouldn't it be exciting, Saria?"  
  
"I suppose so," her daughter answered, with really no enthusiasum whatsoever.  
  
"Dear, aren't you excited at all about this part?" Shirley asked.  
  
Saria sort of shrugged. "A job is just a job, for me. I still haven't come across a part that I ever fell completely in love with...unlike SOME people I could mention." She glanced over at Zelda, who was walking just ahead of them, to their left.  
  
"No need to get worried, then," Shirley said, after something of a silence. "If a part is just a part to you, Saria, that's just fine." She hesitated, then said, "I noticed that evil glare you just threw Zelda Jones, dear. I feel that sometimes you hold back on your feelings a bit. This is America! It's a free country! You know she's insulting you behind your back, so you might as well walk up to her and say just what you think!"  
  
"I don't know, mother, that seems a little rash..."  
  
"Nonsense, dear--I do it all the time."  
  
Link, meanwhile, was in a room with is father, getting measured for a certain outfit. One of the wardrobe men pulled a long rack of costumes into the room, and then selected one that consisted of a corduroy cap, woolen jacket, and pants that a couple holes in them.  
  
"Say, does that outifit mean we're shooting from the beginning today?" asked Robert. "Odd, isn't it? We normally begin filming from the end of the picture."  
  
"This is still somewhat towards the end," said Link. "Remember when Cody gives up the fame he's so longed for, and whisks Audrey off into the city straggler life? That's the scene we're doing today. Gannondorf said so."  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
An hour or so later, the group had returned to SoundStage 12 for the rehearsal.  
  
Saria, who happened to be wearing a long, scarlet, evening gown walked up to Zelda (who happened also to be wearing a rather lowly looking costume, similar to Link's). In a very haughty manner, Saria said, "Zelda dear, Gannondorf told us to go to wardrobe, not stay in your every-day clothes."  
  
"Is that the best you can come up with?!" Zelda asked, tugging on her long, gray overcoat. "I think that even your mother could think of something more clever!"  
  
"Ladies, please," said Gannondorf, coming between them. "Now is no time for arguements, it's time for the picture! Remember...this is a happy- go-lucky-ish, gay musical!" (a/n: and PLZ keep it mind that the word "gay" was the same as happy back in the olden days! it's not the Queer eye definition in this case!!)  
  
.................  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Link asked.  
  
"Of course it is," Zelda answered. "You think that I enjoyed one second of my miserable life back there? Doing nothing but sitting around all day and speaking with men I detested, being forced by my parents to pretend I liked them?" She shook her head. "This life with you is what I want more than anything in the world!"  
  
Link smiled. Slowly, he reached out a hand. Zelda hesitated, then took it. As soon as she felt his fingers close around her own, it felt as if all her feelings and nerves exploded...but in the best way possible. She was surged with a feeling so strong, her knees almost buckled beneath her.  
  
It was unbelievable...and it sounded corny.  
  
"C'mon, then," Link finally said. "Let's go!"  
  
Hand in hand, the two of them sprinted down the streets of New York City (or what appeared to be the city), suitcases in hand.  
  
"CUT!!" shouted Gannondorf, hopping off of his director's chair.  
  
"You like it?" Link asked.  
  
"It was fantastic!" Gannondorf said excitedly, as the crew around him began to applaude. "I'm so glad I didn't wait!"  
  
"Wait for what?" Zelda asked.  
  
"To shoot, of course!"  
  
There was a moment of silence as Zelda and Link tried to compute what he'd just said to them.  
  
"You mean you had the camera ON?!" Link asked.  
  
"Of course I did," Ganon answered simply. "Filming things over and over again seems so unnecessary. And besides--so many times I've seen actors do their jobs superbly when they're just rehearsing. Then, once the camera is on, they're just as jumpy as a cat!"  
  
"But we're not like that," Link said.  
  
"Oh, I know," Gannondorf acknowledged. "But...you two aren't complaining or anything, are you?"  
  
"No," they said simoltaneously.  
  
Saria dragged Link over into a corner. "Nice work, Link!"  
  
"Uh, thanks."  
  
"I'm very proud to be your sister."  
  
"Uh, thanks."  
  
"Is that all you can say?"  
  
"Uh, no. I guess not." Link took a deep breath, and began to walk towards his parents, with Saria clinging onto him. "I know you're never particularly excited about any movie you're ever assigned to, Saria, but I for one am extremely glad that we all managed to land the parts we did."  
  
"Me too," Saria decided.  
  
"Really?" asked Link.  
  
"Sure. On the level. I'm actually looking forward to doing some scenes."  
  
"Dearies," Shirley said, walking up to them. "Your father and I have got some shooting to do, so why don't you two go out and get lunch, hm? We might take awhile, as the Joneses are staying, too."  
  
"All right," Link said. "We'll see you two later, then."  
  
"Good-bye."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Impa! Impa!"  
  
Impa hurriedly ran into Zelda's bedroom. "What is it, Miss? Or, uh...Zelda?"  
  
"My parents aren't back yet, are they?" Zelda asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then come here and have a seat on the bed," Zelda said, patting the spot next to her. "There's something I must tell you about."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Until Zelda had turned fourteen (five years ago), Impa had been her personal nursemaid. Having such a relationship with her, Zelda always told her deepest secrets to Impa; her sole confidant. Nice, isn't it?"  
  
"The strangest thing happened to me today while we were shooting," Zelda said. "We were doing this scene where I'm supposed to take Harker's-- Link's--hand and then run down the street with him. As soon as I touched him, I felt...it felt as if something wonderful was about to happen to me. My heart soared and then I looked up, and he was just looking down at me with that disarming smile of his..."  
  
Impa grinned and stood up. "I thought as much."  
  
Zelda gasped as her former nursemaid began to leave the room. "Impa, it can't be as serious as all that! It's...I must've just gotten a little carried away, that's all. Impa, do you think I'm...starting to...fall for him??"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it's just a small crush," Impa said. "Good looks do so help a movie star get along. It happens to everyone." Zelda blushed, and Impa continued. "Oh, don't be a little fool, Zelda. It's not as if you're in love with him or anything."  
  
"But...but...but what if I--"  
  
"You'll have to get used to him," Impa said. "As well as these feelings you're experiencing. You'll be seeing him pretty much every day for the next few weeks, at the very least."  
  
And with that, Impa walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.  
  
"Wonderful," Zelda sighed with sarcasm. She leaned back in her bed. "Mother will be just so happy with me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
happy happy joy joy! another chapter done. plz review and tell me wat u thinketh!! b/c i just love reviews!! HEE HEE!!! 


	5. Guinea Pigs

more o my story, ppl. hope u like!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Have you heard?" Nayru asked one day during filming. "Audrey's father is having a humongous party to celebrate his wedding anniversary-- and our dear old dependable Audrey invited that scoundrel Cody!!"  
  
"That's odd," Farore remarked. "And her father has agreed to it?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"I never would've thought that he would allow someone of such low class to set foot inside his house! We must ask Audrey why she was so keen to get him at the celebration..."  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Nayru asked, as they began to walk. "Obviously, the poor girl is head-over-heels about him!"  
  
"Now don't be rash," Farore said, coming to a halt. "We know perfectly well that Audrey is NOT in love."  
  
"Uh....we do?"  
  
"Yes! Listen to me, Nicole (a/n: remember they're using their movie names when speaking 2 each other b/c they're filming!!) I'm a writer. I know all there is to know about girls in love! Audrey eats fine, she sleeps like a log--or so her mother tells me--she's not twittery or upcross, and she doesn't mope in corners! Therefor, she's not in love!"  
  
There was a pause. Nayru sighed and continued her walk. "If you say so."  
  
"Cut!" called Gannondorf. "That was swell, kids! I was gonna say that if you didn't get that line right this time, Nayru, I'd have to do something drastic! This IS, after all the fifth take."  
  
"Sorry," Nayru apologized. "But I just could not for the life of me remember that entire thing about girls in love! I wish I had a photograph memory like Zelda does, the lucky girl."  
  
"Speaking of Zel, where is she?" Gannondorf asked. "I was going to conduct a rehearsal of that dancing scene next."  
  
"I think she's still in makeup," Farore answered. "We'll go get her for you, if you like, sir."  
  
"Would you? Thanks."  
  
A few minutes later, Farore and Nayru bumped into Zelda as she was leaving the makeup department. "Hi," she greeted them. "...why do you look so pale?"  
  
"OH, THE HORROR!!" sighed Farore melodramatically. "We knew this day would come!! And it has!"  
  
"...Nayru, what's she talking about?"  
  
Sighing, the other actress said, "She's talking about the scene you're to rehearse next. The one at the ball...you know, the scene where Audrey and Cody kiss for the first time. You're do--...Zelda? Zeeeelda?" Nayru waved a friend in front of her friends face, then snapped her fingers. "Zelda!!"  
  
Zelda snapped out of the daze she had just slipped into. "Sorry," she said in a hoarse voice; a lump stuck in her throat. "D-Does Gannondorf want me now?"  
  
"Yeah...good luck, sister."  
  
About to walk away, Zelda turned around and said, "You're not just pulling my leg, are you?"  
  
"Nope," answered Nayru. "This is on the level."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
A short while later...  
  
"He said he wants you to meet him down in his office," a crew member told Link. "You and Ms. Jones in his office.....something important, I think."  
  
"Um, okay."  
  
Hands in his pockets, Link walked down the long hallway to Gannondorf's office. He wondered why he was being sent there, of all places. Surely he hadn't done anything worth getting in trouble over? Link sighed. As a child, he had imagined that once he was an adult, he wouldn't be afraid of anything at all.  
  
But boy, could those moguls be scary when they wanted to.  
  
Link raised his hand and knocked sharply on the wooden doors that led into Ganon's office. "Come in," said a low voice from inside the room. It didn't sound too angry; it sounded pleased.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Link opened the door and stepped into the office. Zelda was already sitting in one of the two chairs across from Ganon's desk (behind which he was sitting). She wore a long, black sequin gown and a hat that was placed fashionably lopsided on her head. Zelda smushed a cigarette in a nearby ashtray as Link sat down beside her, and she put the holder back inside her purse.  
  
"Cigar, Link?" Ganon said, leaning across his desk with a box full of them.  
  
"No thanks," Link said lightly. There was a silence, until Link said, "So what's this all about, Gannondorf?"  
  
"No need to sound worried, boy," Ganon chuckled. "I merely wanted to speak with you two about the scene I wanted to rehearse today." Ganon cleared his throat and smiled. "You two are my guinea pigs."  
  
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
"I'm going to try something I don't think any other director has ever done, or at least I haven't: as you both know, in the upcoming scene, Audrey and Cody share their first kiss. So I....hold on a moment." He grinned. "Am I right in supposing that you two have never, um....kissed before?"  
  
Both of them suddenly felt very childish, turning away and mumbling.  
  
"I thought not," Gannondorf said, leaning back in his chair. "Anyway, the apparent attitude we have between you two at the moment is exactly what I want shown in the characters...shy, diminuitive, but apparently both a little bit anxious about a certain, shall we say....something."  
  
Zelda's cheeks tinted a pinkish color. 'Good heavens, he KNOWS!! How could he know what an idiot I'm making of myself by falling for Link?! Please, may somebody up there like me!!'  
  
"So, anyway, I thought it might be interesting not to rehearse this scene at all. Because by then, you've kissed and all that and it's suddenly become routine. That's not what I want shown. I want it completely spontaneous!! Don't hold back, be as avid as you wish, and that's a--oh, I know what you're thinking. If something should go wrong, I'll scratch the idea and we'll rehearse it a couple times. All clear?"  
  
Link and Zelda gaped at him.  
  
"Good! That's all, practice your lines, see you both her in two days at seven!"  
  
Zelda slowly stood up, stumbling on her way out of the room, then running away as quickly as possible. Link stood up as well a moment later, shook Gannondorf's hand, and exited between the two wooden doors.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Numbly, Link opened the door to his limousine and stepped inside. Saria slid down to make room for him.  
  
"Ohhh, what a busy day it's been!" she sighed happily. "Have you met Din, Link? She's new to the business; does a song and dance number in the picture, absolutely love girl--anyway, I was in the scene she was doing today and we--Link, what's wrong?"  
  
"What?" Link asked.  
  
"You seem a little....dazed about something."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Good. Mother's already scared enough without you being ill. I got a call at the studio today, they said that Boots is dead."  
  
"Boots died?!" Link said incredulously, referring their family cat. "Oh no, that's terrible! Mother must be a total mess!"  
  
"We can only imagine," Saria sighed. "She must feel simply awful." Saria picked up the telephone that was conveniently located in the back seat. "I'm going to give father a call and ask how she's doing....we've had Boots for what seems like--oh, how long has it been? Seventeen years! Why-- oh, hello?"  
  
As Saria began to speak on the phone with their father, Link thought desperately about Gannondorf had told him and Zelda that afternoon. He should hate very much to have to kiss her, but he knew he had to anyway. Link was also fully aware that any number of actors (and just plain normal movie-goers) would die to take his place.  
  
Link straightened from his slouched position. He was being stupid. It's not like he was doing this movie because of Zelda, he was doing it because the pay was extreme and he knew the picture would be big....it was only reasonable.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Zelda, dear, I need some advice," Greer Garson said that afternoon.  
  
"All right," Zelda said, eager to take her mind off of the meeting she had just come from. "Shoot. What's the problem?"  
  
"Well..." Greer tried to find the right words as she squirmed around a bit in her seat at the Brown Derby. "What do you do when you find yourself falling for your co-star?"  
  
Zelda choked on her glass of water. "Trust me, Greer, I know exactly what you're talking about."  
  
"No, you don't," Greer laughed. "I mean...what if you fall in love with the actor who's playing your son?"  
  
Zelda stared at her for a long time. "That's insane!! You mean Vey? Richard VEY?! You're falling in love with him?"  
  
"It's dreadful, I know!" Greer said. "It's awful when something like this happens; when I want to treat the man playing my son like a--I don't know, a MAN, not a boy! Zelda, I know the crew is right on my tail and it would seem ridiculous if they found out about it all!"  
  
"Does Richard know?" Zelda asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure...oh, but have you no advice?"  
  
"None whatsoever, I'm afraid."  
  
"Wonderful." Greer sighed. "Now that I've spilled my story, you'd better tell me yours. Who's the co-star you're falling for."  
  
"It's terrible," Zelda said, supporting her forehead with her hand. "I feel like a little child, but my mother would never let me hear the end of it if she knew that I'm starting to feel for Link. Harker."  
  
Greer laughed, but cut it short, because she knew this was rather serious. "Zelda, don't you worry. You'll get over him eventually; this sort of thing happens all the time. Besides, I'm sure it's only temporary. Why, in a couple of days, you'll be--"  
  
"But it's been more than a couple days, Greer!" Zelda interrupted. "I've been feeling like this for two weeks! And I don't know what I shall do if my mother or even father knew; they absolutely loathe the Harkers! All of them!!"  
  
"Well, I'm afraid that your parents would rather blow a blood vessel or two if they were to find out," Greer said.  
  
"Thank you for the encouragement," Zelda mumbled.  
  
"Oh, Zelda," Greer whispered, reaching across the table and taking her friend's hand. "Why don't you come on over to my house tonight? I'm having a few other people over, and we're viewing a movie."  
  
"Which?" Zelda asked, again rather anxious to change the subject from Link.  
  
"Pride and Prejudice," Greer answered, naming one of her movies from a couple years ago. "But it wasn't my idea! It was Laurence's, Laurence Olivier's! He was in it too, you know, and he said it was one of the best he'd done. Either that, or Rebecca."  
  
"I see," Zelda said, standing up. "I must be going now, thank you for the invitation. I'll stop by if I've got the time."  
  
"Please do," Greer called after her, waving. "Oh, thank you," she said, as the waiter brought her bill to the booth. "Good heavens, ZELDA!! YOU--oh, she's gone. Just like that for her to go and leave me with this monstrous tab!"  
  
Not as if she couldn't afford it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n: well, thar's another chapter. sry if i'm speeding this along a bit....but i was rather anxious to get this done.  
  
btw, a note 2 twyla zone: i dont know if mayer ever made a movie w/ gloria grahame. i wouldn't know, b/c she was never my absolute favorite (even though she's good...i thought she was just so funny and cute in oklahoma!!) sry. c ya round 


	6. And So It Happened

the chapter u've allllllllllllllllllllll been waiting 4!! HEE HEE HEEEEEEEE!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You look beautiful," John Paul said to his daughter, holding a folded script in his hands. "I wish I could just take you up in my arms right now and kiss you."  
  
"Well, why don't you?" asked Zelda, smiling.  
  
He hesitated, then said, "Dance with me first, Audrey. . .once."  
  
Zelda stepped towards her father, then asked, "When did you say that that dance tutor is coming?"  
  
"He should be here within ten minutes," John Paul answered, checking his watch. "I don't know what on earth Loxley was thinking when he said he wanted this scene to be spontaneous! The idea is overall just ridiculous!"  
  
"Well, I suppose if things don't work out the way he wants them to, we'll just stop the idea there and practice it some more. I'm already a fine dancer, father, you know that, and I don't really need help from a teacher. And I can only assume that Link is the same as I. Greer has told me how fond his family is of ball room dancing."  
  
John Paul rolled his eyes. "Such an old-fashioned family wouldn't have any taste for the newest styles, I suppose."  
  
"Apparently not."  
  
The next day, seven o'clock a.m.............  
  
"ALL RIGHT, PEOPLE!! QUIET ON THE SET, QUIET ON THE SET!!" Gannondorf shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth. His nonstril flared as he heard the lighting people whispering. "HEY!! WALKER, SMITH!! DIDN'T I JUST TELL EVERYONE TO SHUT UP?!"  
  
"Yes, sir," answered Walker.  
  
"OKAY!! SO BE QUIET!!" Gannondorf roared. He turned back to the set. "Are all the extras here?"  
  
"Yes, sir," answered one of the crew members.  
  
"So where are my little stars?" Gannondorf asked.  
  
Link walked onto the set, dressed in a shining black tuxedo. There was a monocle that was never used in the coat pocket, and a pocketwatch in his right hand. Link placed the watch in his pants pocket, then walked through the crowd of extras and towards his marked spot on the floor.  
  
Zelda was already there, dressed in a dark blue, skin-tight gown, with aqua colored sashes that went over her shoulders and elbows. Two white gloves were on her hands, stopping in length at about her forearms. Her hair was pulled back elegantly, and around her neck, Zelda wore a long, golden necklace.  
  
"You two ready?" Ganon asked them, bearing a lopsided grin. They both nodded. "All right then, if you say so. Camera on? Good, good....WALKER! SMITH!! THOSE LIGHTS!! Ahhhh, thank you, and....action!"  
  
The extras surrounding them began to waltz about the room. Link stepped closer to his opposite, and stammered, "You look beautiful....I wish that I could just take you up in my arms and kiss y-you."  
  
"Well, why don't you?" Zelda asked, blinking fliratiously and smiling her best. No way was she going to mess up this scene. Not a chance.  
  
"Dance with me, Audrey....just this once."  
  
As the two began to join the waltzing people about them, another camera focused in on Nayru and Farore, who were standing next to a table filled with food.  
  
"Oh, Nicole, look!" Farore sighed. "Audrey's dancing with him! Cody! That's oddly divine, in a way. Even though I've never thought much of him myself, it's rather re-assuring to know that Audrey's finally found that someone."  
  
"About time, too," Nayru said. "She's been turning down suitors for much too long, if you ask me."  
  
Saria entered the room to watch the scene being shot. She saw her mother there, and walked towards her. Taking out a pad of paper and a pencil, she wrote, "What's happened so far?"  
  
"Not much," her mother wrote back. "They've just begun dancing and they make it look so real. I mean the whole romantic atmosphere. So if you're curious, no, they have not kissed yet."  
  
"This must be terrible for him," Saria penciled (i guess thats a word i made up).  
  
"Of course. But then, he looks so happy. Your dear brother may have a shot at the Academy Awards this year, Saria! We never know! This is the first scene I've watched him in, and I've yet to see one of yours."  
  
"How long has been since I met you?" Link asked  
  
"Just under two months, I think," Zelda answered. "You know, all of this dancing is making me tired--would you mind it if we stopped for a moment and rested over there?" She looked pointedly at a wall to their right.  
  
"Of course," Link obliged, taking her hand and walking over to the space she had indicated towards. There was a silence between them. Then, right on cue, the both turned their heads and stared each other in the eye, attempting to remember their lines.  
  
Saria and Shirley held up a sign that read in humongous letters, "I WISH THAT YOU COULD SEE YOUR FACE."  
  
"I-I wish that you could see your face right now," Link said.  
  
Zelda pulled back. "Why, what's the matter with it?"  
  
Link brought her back, closer. "It's gorgeous."  
  
"Oh, Link," she whispered so softly, that Link barely heard it himself. Her heart was thumping at an incredible rate, and her legs started shaking beneath her. "Cody...."  
  
It was now or never. Link put his arms around her and kissed her. It took her a moment to respond, to compute what was happening, but soon enough Zelda held him in a tight embrace, kissing him ardently....so this was what it felt like.  
  
It seemed to go on, becausethe two of them didn't want it to stop, it was like a dream coming true for them...but then they both remembered what they were doing and where the were, and they broke apart immediatley.  
  
There was a stunned silence between the two of them, until Link bowed, offering his arm, and saying, "May I have this dance?"  
  
"Cut!" Gannondorf said, from the other side of the set. "I can't believe that worked, I can't believe it! Link, Zelda, that chemistry was amazing!"  
  
Zelda turned her gaze from Link to Gannondorf. "Well, it was all acting, I can assure you that."  
  
"You two kids go ahead and take a break," Ganon said. "I'll call for you when I need you again."  
  
Quickly, Zelda exited the building as fast as she could. She headed towards the structure opposite the one she'd just been working in, and waited outside of it for a few moments. It was where Greer was working, and she should be coming out of it within at least fifteen minutes.  
  
Link meanwhile, was sitting silently next to his mother and his sister.  
  
"That was just wonderful, son," Shirley said to him, patting his arm. "Your father will be so proud when he sees this! It's so terrible that he couldn't come to the set, today. Feeling a little under the weather, the poor dear."  
  
"You were most convincing," Saria said. "Really."  
  
"Thanks," Link muttered, not really hearing them. He was fiddling with his wedding ring.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me," Shirley said. "Guess who we told to drop by? Malon! She's feeling much better, and we decided that she must come down to meet us for brunch, and she should be here any--oh, there she is! Malon, dear! We're over here!"  
  
Malon smiled and walked up to the three of them. Link stood up. She hugged him and kissed his cheek, saying, "Sorry I'm late, love. The traffic getting up here was nothing short of horrid! How did the shoot go?"  
  
"Fine," Link answered, shrugging.  
  
"You are too modest, Link!" lauhed Shirley. "He did a fascinating job, Malon! It's really too bad you couldn't see him! We sure showed that Jones girl, didn't we, Link?" She grinned, winking and elbowing him.  
  
Link nodded. Malon, who wasn't exactly thrilled about having her husband making a movie with Zelda Jones, said, "I'm sure you did wonderfully, sweet heart."  
  
..................  
  
Zelda jumped as the door right next to her suddenly opened. She saw Greer speed out of it, and she hastily got to her feet and ran after here. "Greer! Greer, hold on a second, I need to talk to you!!"  
  
Greer turned around, and Zelda was surprised to see tears flowing down her face. "What is it, Zelda?"  
  
"Good heavens, what ever is the matter?" Zelda asked, pulling a tissue out of her bra and handing it to her friend. "It's not about Richard Vey, is it?"  
  
"No," Greer said, wiping at her eyes. "I j-just finished shooting the scene where my daughter-in-law dies!! And I just can't turn the tears off!" Zelda rolled her eyes as Greer blew her nose loudly. "I feel just like June Allyson, or little Margaret O'Brien; they're called the Town Criers because- -"  
  
"I know," Zelda said, putting an arm around Greer. "Because they can never stop crying when they're given a sad scene. But just remember it's only a movie, Greer. You needn't get so worked up about it."  
  
"But that's just the thing, Zelda!" Greer said. "People are dying from this war every single day! And the thing is that it's just so stupid! War!" She took a deep breath to steady herself, then said, "Mayer says this film will do really well because of the war propaganda. Maybe it'll even have a good shot at the Academy Awards, he said."  
  
"Hey, don't get your hopes up too high," Zelda joked. "Don't forget that I happen to be making the play of the century into a movie. And I'll be hanged if I see you get the Academy Award before me!"  
  
Greer laughed. "I had a shot in '39, you know," she chuckled. "Oh, if it hadn't been for that bloody Gone With The Wind, who knows what could've happened with the Awards?"  
  
"The world may never know," Zelda stated. "But I just wanted to tell you that I just finished my scene with Link about twenty minutes ago."  
  
"You did?" Greer asked. "Oh, Zelda! How did it go?"  
  
"Terribly!" Zelda cried. "The scene looked perfect, at least Ganon said so, but the thing was....that kiss....was complete heaven for me!"  
  
"Well what's the problem with that?" Greer asked, a little confused. "Doesn't that only help the movie look even better, and maybe a bit more realistic?"  
  
"It's not that," Zelda sighed. "You know my restrictions!! I just can't be in love with him; it's an unwritten law! And besides, it's morally wrong! He's already married, and he's BEEN married twice! Our parents hate each other, he hates me, and after this film is finished, I'll never do anything like this with him again!"  
  
"Sounds like me and Richard," Greer said. "I'm just glad I don't have to kiss HIM romantically in my movie."  
  
"That wasn't funny," Zelda sniffed.  
  
"It wasn't supposed to be, dear," Greer said sincerely. "I understand exactly how you feel. Why don't you try talking to Impa about it? I'm sure she'd have some advice for you on how to handle yourself."  
  
"Okay," Zelda said, nodding. "I think I will....thank you, Greer. You're the best friend anyone could ask for."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
just 2 let y'all know, the thing with Greer Garson being in love w/ the actor who played her son in her movie is a true story. it really happened!!! cooky, huh? 


	7. Bar Fight, the Crawford, and HEAT

whoa, been a while since i've updated, i c. sry, my internet was down and i couldnt get on! so 2 make up 4 it, heres a long-ish chapter!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~  
  
By now, Zelda had spoken to Impa about Link. Unfortunately, she wasn't given any advice. Desperate at finding a solution, Zelda went out to a popular bar for a drink.  
  
"Well, well, well," said the bartender (whose name happened to be....uh....Talon). "Been awhile since we've had you here, Ms. Jones."  
  
"I know," Zelda sighed. "Please just give me....the usual."  
  
"Right." Talon turned to walk away, then asked, "What is the usual?"  
  
Zelda shrugged. "I dunno. But it says on your menu up there that it costs $10.95."  
  
"Okay, you're the boss."  
  
"YOU'RE ALWAYS GETTING YOUR WAY IN EVERYTHING, I THINK IT'S MY TURN NOW!!"  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN THE BOSS AT HOME! YOU NEVER EVEN CONSIDER HOW I FEEL, OR WHAT I'M THINKING!"  
  
Zelda whipped around to see where the shouting was coming from. Her jaw dropped when she saw Malon and Link in the back of the bar, both standing and yelling at each other quite loudly.  
  
"YOU'D BE NO ONE WITHOUT ME!" Link shouted.  
  
"WELL WHO NEEDS YOU?!" Malon screamed back.  
  
"GET OUT!" Link yelled, picking up his beer bottle and throwing it at her. The glass broke across her forhead, and Zelda recoiled as blood dripped out of Malon's crown. Fighting to remain concious, she wiped away at the red substance that seeped into her eyes, clouding her vision.  
  
Yelling wordlessly, she swung her own glass at Link, but missed badly and it ended up just missing his leg. "You! You s...you son of...!" Malon's breathing got sharper and sharper, until she collapsed on the floor from unconsiousness.  
  
Talon quickly ran to the bar's phone and called up an ambulance. Link shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of his half-drunken state. His vision was getting slightly blurred, but he hurried out of the bar as several of the bar's residents ran over to Malon to try and revive her.  
  
Zelda glanced at Malon that ran out of the doors, calling out to Talon, "Cancel my order, please!" She looked around for any sign of Link, and saw him walking briskly down the street. "Link!"  
  
He turned around and saw her running towards him. Scowling, he continued to walk away. Zelda caught his elbow, but he jerked out of her grasp. "Link, please!"  
  
"Leave me alone!" he growled at her, swiping at her but missing completely. His words were slurred together, and his eyes told Zelda that he was clearly very, very drunk.  
  
She grabbed his arm. "Listen to me!" she said in a loud voice. "Do you know what you just did in there?"  
  
"Yeah, so what? Happens alla time."  
  
"I'm sure it does!" Zelda said. She looked out into the street, and tried to flag down a taxi. "Taxi! Don't those drivers ever--oh no, you don't! Link, don't walk away! You need to talk this out with someone rationaal--TAXI!!"  
  
"Yer not doing it right," Link said, hiccupping. Before Zelda could stop him, he walked out into the street and waved his arms as a taxi drove up. It screeched to a halt, nearly running him over. "Ladies first," Link said, opening the door.  
  
Her lips set in a thin glare, Zelda stepped inside the cab and Link followed.  
  
"Where to, miss?" the cab driver asked.  
  
"The Colliseum," Link answered, laughing.  
  
"Wherever the nearest hotel is, just take us there!" Zelda replied, exasperated with Link's drunken phase. The driver nodded, and Zelda rolled up the window between them for privacy.  
  
"You picked the perfect spot, babe," Link said, slowly taking off his coat and his hat.  
  
"For what?" Zelda asked, backing up against her side of the cab.  
  
"Don't give me that," Link said, grinning. "I know you like me n all that, so you picked a taxi cab for us to, uh....y'know."  
  
Zelda wrinkled her nose. She knew she was experiencing a love for Link, but she didn't want him if he only wanted to make love to her when he was drunk. "That's not what I wanted to speak to you about."  
  
"Sure, honey," Link said, putting his arms around her. Then he bore down on her, his soft lips pressing down on hers.  
  
"Ugh, stop!" Zelda cried out, pushing off of her. "I don't want you, especially not when you're drunk and when you're married! Stay off of me, you creep!"  
  
"You know, most dames in your position would be glad in this situation," Link said, sitting back and grinning.  
  
"Yeah, well most dames are stupid."  
  
The cab driver knocked on the window, and Zelda hastily lowered it, glad for the interruption. "Here we are, miss."  
  
"This is your stop, Link. Get out."  
  
"Why? I wanna stay with you."  
  
"No you don't. You want to check into this hotel and get some sleep. So you can rest up for tomorrow's shoot, okay?"  
  
"....will you come with me?"  
  
"No, I am not going to come with you!" She practically had to kick him out of the cab until he agreed to swagger off towards the hotel. "See you tomorrow, Link, when you're a little more sober!!"  
  
"Will he be okay, miss?" the driver asked.  
  
"Don't know, don't care," she sighed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The phone rang early the next morning. Zelda was the only one in the house. It was the servants' day off, and the rest of the family had gone to a breakfast party at Pickfair (Zelda had been invited, but she hadn't felt like going).  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, is this Zelda Jones, by any chance?"  
  
"Yes. May I ask who is calling?"  
  
The woman on the other side of the phone laughed. "Yes, sorry--this is Joan Crawford, you....MAY have heard of me." The ultimate screen siren laughed again at the joke. "I've called upon you several times, and yet your mother constantly tells me you are busy. I was wondering if you could possible come over this morning?"  
  
Zelda gulped. Whenever Joan Crawford had called for her, she had always told her mother to say she was busy. She was afraid of Crawford; too many stars had told her disasterous stories about her. But she couldn't find the bravery within herself to decline in person, so she said, "It would be my pleasure to. I don't have to leave for the studio until about twelve o'clock."  
  
"How divine! Why don't you just hustle on over in about....twenty minutes? I've been dying to get to know you better."  
  
"A-all right, then. Good-bye."  
  
"Good-bye!"  
  
Zelda hung the phone and sat with her hand still on it for a few moments. Her mother had said it took about fifteen minutes to drive to Joan Crawford's house, so she would have just enough time to call up Greer. Quickly, she dialed the number.  
  
"Hello?" said the maid at the other end of the line.  
  
"Hello, this is Zelda Jones. Is Ms. Garson in?"  
  
"I'm sorry, no, madame. She's filming at the studio. May I take a message?"  
  
Sighing, Zelda stepped away from the phone and said, "Yes. HELP! I'M GOING TO JOAN CRAWFORD'S HOUSE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!" She took in a deep breath then said, "Thank you. Goodbye."  
  
*****************  
  
Zelda rang the doorbell of the large white house. Her frown quickly changed to a smile as a maid answered the door. "Hello, I'm Zelda Jones calling upon Ms. Crawford .... is she in?"  
  
"Yes, madame," the maid answered, opening the door wider so Zelda would walk in. "She's in the study."  
  
"Oh, Zelda dear!" Joan said, flying out of the study and into the hallway. "How marvelous it is to see you again! What a lovely brooch that is, you must tell me where you got it. And your hair, quite fashionable! You must tell me where you get it done, I hate whoever does mine. Anyway--"  
  
Apparently, Joan didn't care much about where the brooch had come from or where Zelda had gotten her hair done. Her goal was to tell the young actress everything about her life. Zelda zoned in and out of the conversation, her thoughts drifting to Link every now and then.  
  
"....so then Davis has the nerve to come and tell me that Franchot loves her instead of me--the nerve, can you believe it?--so I said right on back that...."  
  
Blah blah blah blah.  
  
Then she proceeded to tell Zelda about her schedule from dawn to dusk. Zelda barely got a word in, except to say, "Yes" or "I agree" or "Of course, dear."  
  
Zelda's eyes shifted towards a small girl waddling towards them. Her blonde hair was tied back with pink ribbons, and her plaid dress was also a bright red color. She curtsied shortly, and said, "Good morning, Miss."  
  
"Oh, my daughter, Christina," Joan said absent-mindedly, waving her hand as if it wasn't too important. She laughed. "Thinks she's going to be the next Jean Harlow, don't you, Tina?"  
  
"I want to act," Christina said. "I like to act. It's--"  
  
"That's enough," Joan said curtly, cutting her off.  
  
"But mommie, you interrupted."  
  
"I said that's enough! Did you clean the mess you made in your room last night yet? You horrid child!"  
  
"It's not cleaned yet."  
  
"Then go straighten it up! And don't come barging in when mommy has company, you understand?! And once you finish up with that disasterous room of yours, you come down here, understand?!"  
  
"Yes, mommie," Christina obliged, beginning to walk up the stairs.  
  
"Mommie what?" Joan asked, putting a hand to her ear.  
  
Christina turned while on the steps, and said rather darkly, "Yes, mommie dearest."  
  
"There's a good girl, now speed up!" Joan turned to face Zelda again (who was quite shaken), and said, "Always getting in my way, little Tina. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, that Davis monster...."  
  
Zelda wished she hadn't told Joan she had to leave at twelve. If she hadn't, she could just gasp and glance at the clock, and say, "Oh, dear! I've lost track of the time! I've got to be at the studio in ten minutes!" But now that would be impossible.  
  
A few minutes later, Christina came tromping back down the stairs.  
  
"Now Tina, is that how a lady walks?" Joan asked. "I don't think so."  
  
Tina lifted her feet a little bit and glided down the stairs.  
  
"Now go get that present from upstairs," Joan growled. "Then came back to us and sit down on that bench until it's time to go to that party at three. That is your punishment for being an impertinent child!"  
  
"Yes, mommie dearest."  
  
Zelda looked at the clock. A party at three, and it was only eleven forty-five! That was a dreadful punishment!  
  
"Oh look, it's a quarter to twelve already!" Joan exclaimed. "You'd better be heading off to the studio, darling, you don't want to be late! It's been wonderful speaking with you!"  
  
'Speaking with you my @$$,' Zelda thought, walking out of the house. "Thank you for having me," she called out. She saw Christina sitting on a bench by the front door, as still as stone, holding a red box wrapped with a golden ribbon. "Goodbye, Christina," Zelda said. "Lovely to have met you!"  
  
Christina did not respond. She only stared blankly in front of her, seemingly oblivious to what Zelda had just said to her.  
  
'Oh, my Lord!' Zelda thought to herself, hurrying down the stone pathway that led out of the gates. 'If I ever have children, please don't ever let me treat them as harshly as all that!'  
  
Now she knew that the horrific stories about Crawford were all true.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that afternoon, Zelda sat in her dressing room, humming to herself. A knock sounded on her door. "Come in," she called out. She heard the door open and then close. Zelda turned around to see who it was, and gasped. "Link!"  
  
"Hello," he said. He pulled a bouquet out from behind his back and handed them to Zelda. "Here, take this before I explain."  
  
"Uh....thanks," Zelda said taking the flowers and placing them carefully on her wardrobe. "What beautiful azaleas....well anyway, what is it?"  
  
Sighing, Link sat down on the other chair in the room. "Um....I just wanted to thank you for last night. I acted terribly in my drunken state, and it was so kind of you to help me in my hour of need." He sighed again. "I know that .... that uh .... our families have never been the best of friends, and I think it was swell of you to help me like that."  
  
Zelda stared at him and turned a pinkish color. "It was no problem for me at all, really. Is....is Malon all right?"  
  
"Yeah, the doctor's said she'd be okay," Link answered. "Apparently she didn't tell them I was the one who caused the injury. She told them that she slipped on the stairs and hit her head on a table." He looked up into Zelda's crystalline eyes. "I didn't hurt you at all, did I?"  
  
"Well, no harm was done," Zelda replied. "But you were very drunk, and at one point, I was afraid that you were going to--to rape me." Link breathed in sharply, but Zelda said quickly, "You didn't, though. I managed to stop you in time."  
  
"I'm sorry," Link apologized. "That's a terrible thing I've done; my mother would be horrified if she ever found out. Especially with Malon being....being in the hospital and everything. This isn't the first time we've gotten into a violent argument." Ashamed of this fact, Link stood up and crossed to the other side of the room. "I never dreamed that life could turn out this way."  
  
Zelda walked towards him and put her arms around his waist from behind. "I'm sorry you've got to endure this, I'm sure you don't deserve it."  
  
"Maybe I do," Link said, trying his best to hold back tears. "Maybe I do deserve it for all the things I've done before."  
  
"Link, I don't think you're a bad person," Zelda sighed. "And no offense, but my parents do. I used to be prejudiced against you, but that was before I even knew you. Now I can see what a kind, honest man you are."  
  
Link turned around to face her. "I'm glad one woman on tihs planet thinks so. Malon finally admitted....something to me."  
  
Zelda raised her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything. Link was going very deeply into his personal life, and she didn't want to pry into anything he didn't feel comfortable telling her.  
  
"She told me she only married me for the fame and the money," Link whispered, resting his elbow on a chest of drawers nearby. "She doesn't love me, she hates me, and I can't do anything about it."  
  
"Well, why don't you just...." Zelda felt awkward attempting to give him advice, but it had to be said. "Why don't you just divorce?"  
  
Link chuckled softly. "Divorce? In California? That is exactly what she wants me to do. I'm trapped."  
  
Wiping away at a tear that was coursing down her cheek, Zelda said, "I'm so sorry, Link." That was all she could do to ease his pain. Apologize. She felt so pathetic.  
  
"Don't cry for me," Link muttered. "Don't waste your tears on someone like me."  
  
"But Link, I really....I do...." Whoops, she almost spilled the secret of her admiration for him. "I wish there was something I could do."  
  
"Maybe there is."  
  
Link reached forward and caressed her face. Then he kissed her on her awaiting mouth, his lips roving over her small, delicate ones. He was ver passionate about it, walking her into a wall behind her.  
  
"Say it," he whispered, his tongue fluttering at her ear. "I've known it all along, Zelda....you love me."  
  
How could she lie about it now? "You have no idea how much," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, temptation breaking through and she locked her lips on to his with eager passion.  
  
Slowly the two of them skated down the wall, until they were they were both practically touching the wood paneling of the floor. Zelda rubbed the back of Link's neck, her lips still exploring him excitedly. Then she paused for a brief moment to catch her breath.  
  
Link seized the opportunity and stuck his tongue into Zelda's mouth, meeting hers and then trembling shortly at the indescribable tenderness of it.  
  
There was a knock on the door, but neither of them heard. They were too busy exploring each other. The knock sounded again, but still they were oblivious of it.  
  
The knocker was Nayru, and Farore the second time. "She's in there, isn't she?" the former one asked.  
  
"Yes," Farore replied. "She has to be. That's what Loxley told me. Open the door a crack; she might be changing."  
  
Nayru agreed, and opened the door quietly. Both of them held their breath to keep from gasping loudly. They saw the entwined pair on the floor, and immediately knew that it couldn't be good.  
  
"Nay, what do we do?!" Farore asked desperately. "Zelda would've told us if she'd started this affair before today!"  
  
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Nayru said, tapping her chin with her finger. "We'll have to talk to Greer, she's Zelda's best friend....let's see if we can catch her at the Brown Derby. That's where she usually has lunch."  
  
******************  
  
Fortunately for them, that's exactly where they found Greer. She was sitting in a booth with Humphrey (Bogart, remember?), and looked up as Nayru and Farore walked up to them. "Oh, hello you two!"  
  
"Greer, may we speak with you for a minute?" Nayru asked. "Alone?"  
  
"All right," Humphrey said, standing up. "I know when I'm not wanted."  
  
"Oh Humphrey, it's not that," Nayru sighed, as he walked away.  
  
"Yeah, I know," he laughed.  
  
"What's the matter?" Greer asked in confusion as Nayru and Farore sat on opposite sides of her. "What is so important that you had ask Humphrey to leave? We were having a rather interesting conversation."  
  
"It's about Zelda," Farore answered. "We need you to talk with her. We're too afraid to do it ourselves."  
  
"Oh no," Greer said quickly. "It's about Link, isn't it?"  
  
"How'd you know?" Nayru asked.  
  
"Well, Zelda's been telling me her problems with him lately," Greer sighed. "And I knew that--HEY!!" Greer jumped over Nayru and into the booth to their left. A reporter hurriedly tried to a hid a pad of paper he had been scribbling on.  
  
"Good afternoon, Miss Garson," he said, shaking.  
  
"Give me that pad of paper!" she insisted, holding out her hand. "Or else suffer the consequences!!"  
  
"What pad of paper?"  
  
"I'm warning you, Mister! GIVE ME THAT PAD OF PAPER!!"  
  
Sheepishly, the reporter pulled the pad out of his pocket and handed it to the actress. Greer turned a rather odd color and tore up the paper. "Don't you dare come here again while I am, you monster! Prying into innocent's people's lives, what a way to make a living! You'd better get out of here, buster!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he said hurriedly, practically running out of the booth and the restaurant. Greer scowled and returned to her booth. "Sorry for that interruption. What about Link and Zelda?"  
  
"Well, we wanted to speak with Zelda for a few minutes," Nayru continued. "Y'know, just exchange some words. So we knocked on her dressing room door, but no one answered. We knocked again, but she still didn't answer. So then we cracked the door open and we s-saw her and Link in the corner of the room, sort of.....well, it almost looked to me as if they were making love."  
  
Greer choked on the meatball she had just consumed. "What?" she asked hoarsely, rubbing her throat.  
  
"They were ma--"  
  
"I heard you," Greer said, putting her head in her hands. "Oh no, poor Zelda has lost her mind. Her family will disown her if they find out about this! And it's wrong, morally wrong! Link is a married man! She'd never do something like that!" Greer stood up and walked out of the booth.  
  
"Where are you going?" Farore asked.  
  
"I must speak with her at once."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n: well, i hope that wasnt a disappointment. as 4 the joan crawford section; if u were curious, "Davis" meant Bette Davis, the actress's biggest rival and "Franchot" was referring to her ex-husband. just so u know. plz review!! 


	8. Divorce and the plan

a shortish chapter but still important!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Why are you nosing into my life?!" Zelda yelled at the woman facing her. "You never used to do this before!"  
  
"I'm only trying to help you!" Greer protested. "You know that only trouble will come out of having an affair with Link Harker, you know it! I don't want to see you going and getting hurt!"  
  
"What makes you think you've got the right to come down here and order me about?!" Zelda demanded. "Who are you, my mother?"  
  
"No, and you'd better be damn grateful I'm not! She would bury you alive if she found out you were in love with Harker!" Greer stopped to take a breath as Zelda looked down at the floor. "And what about Loxley, and Mayer?! What'll they think about this? You know it doesn't meet the studio's standards! The publicity! You'd never be left alone if the secret got out! Link is a married man!"  
  
"Shut up!" Zelda screamed. "Shut up, I won't hear any more of it!" There was a loud silence between them as Zelda trembled with anger at Greer and at herself.  
  
"I knew this would happen if I tried to talk to you," Greer finally said in a whisper. "I told Din and Farore that I would speak to you about all this at once. I said that two weeks ago, because I was afraid that I might hurt you. And I don't want to do that, Zelda! You're my best friend, and the only thing I'm trying to do is save you from inflicting pain upon yourself!"  
  
Zelda's eyes returned to the floor. She began to cry silently. "We....Link and I have never gone all the way, in spite of what you may think. You know I'm not that kind of woman."  
  
"I didn't think you were the kind of woman to steal another's husband!" Greer retorted hotly.  
  
"You don't understand! Link isn't happy with Malon! They hate each other, they really do! They get into fights all the time, she only loves his money and fame, and he gets more and more sick of her every day! I'm only trying to help ease his pain!"  
  
"Quiet, Zelda!" Greer cried out. "For the love of Peter, you make yourself sound like a prostitute!"  
  
"How dare you say something like that!" Zelda shouted. "I love him! And I can tell he loves me, he's not just using me!"  
  
"If Link doesn't love Malon, then why doesn't he--" Greer stopped mid- sentence from realization. "Oh....that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? I suppose Malon would WANT him to divorce her, in California of all places." She sighed heavily. "I don't know how to help you."  
  
"I don't need help," Zelda growled. "I just need a way to get HER to divorce HIM, so that she wouldn't be left with all the--" She stopped abruptly, then her face formed an almost evil grin. "I know exactly what to do."  
  
"Oh no," Greer said seriously. "The last time you got that expression on your face was when you were devising a plot to get back at Katharine Hepburn for calling you a stubburn impertinent brat."  
  
"Hey, YOU were the one who helped me put the rats in her drawer," Zelda defended. "I appreciate you trying to....'help me out,' Greer, but it really is impossible to change one's heartfelt devotions." And with that, she marched out of her dressing room.  
  
"Well, I tried," Greer said to herself, rubbing her temple.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Where were you?" Link asked Malon as she came parading through the door at one in the morning.  
  
She jumped at the sound of his voice. "Why Link, dear, I didn't expect you to be up at this hour!"  
  
"Obviously," Link said coldly. "Now answer my question: where were you?"  
  
Her false smile evaporated quickly. "What business is it of yours, you nitwit?"  
  
"I'm your husband, aren't I? Or have you forgotten? Malon, you tell me where you've been right this instant!"  
  
"I don't have to tell you anything I don't want to," Malon sneered. "All I have to do is tell the cops you threw a beer bottle at my head, and whoosh--off to probation or prison for you, Linky dear!" Laughing menacingly, she trotted up the stairs.  
  
He glared after her, then whirled around as he heard another set of footsteps approaching him. This time it was his sister, Saria.  
  
"Oh Link, don't you know?" she asked softly.  
  
"Shut up," he growled.  
  
"If she wouldn't tell you, why not let me?" Saria pleaded him. "Link, you know what Malon is like....flaunting her lovers about town...."  
  
"You know about that?" he whispered.  
  
"Almost everyone does," Saria sighed wistfully. "Well, everyone that can be trusted to keep a secret, anyway. Apparently, Malon trusted me too, at one point. That's how I know about it." She gulped. "She just came from Errol Flynn's; she told me."  
  
Link sank his fist into a pillow on a nearby couch. "She doesn't know I know," he told Saria. "But at Clark Gable's party last week, I saw her in the bedroom with Flynn. She doesn't ..... know that I ....know! Why isn't there any way I can get back at her!?"  
  
"Just divorce her, Link!" Saria shouted, but not loud enough so that Malon could hear her from upstairs. "It's not like you couldn't earn your money back after the divorce, and besides! WE could help you after it was all over, until your next paycheck! Please, Link! I hate to see you in this kind of pain!"  
  
There was a long silence. Link gazed into his sister's pleading eyes. Then he stalked towards the stair case. "You're right, Saria! I've only just realized it for the first time! Money isn't worth all of this, it just isn't worth it! I'm going upstairs and talking to Malon right now!"  
  
He ran up the stairs and wrenched up the doors to her bedroom. "Malon, get up!"  
  
"I was never asleep," she yawned. "What is it?"  
  
"This is the last straw, Malon! I know where you've been all night, and it's time I said that I want a divorce!"  
  
"You what?!"  
  
"You heard me, you monster! I want a divorce! Whaddya say, huh?! You could marry Errol, or Dick, and have just as much as you do now!"  
  
Malon stared at him a long time, then sank back beneath her covers. "No."  
  
Link gaped at her. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said no! I don't want to get a divorce, it would disgrace us!"  
  
"You wouldn't care about disgracing me! All you want to do is hurt me, you want to see me suffer, you sick beast!" Link ran over to her bed and dragged her out of it. In one quick move, he slugged her across the face. "You agree to this divorce, or I'll kill you! I swear to God I'll kill you!!"  
  
Furious and screaming with rage, Malon grabbed a knife from her nightstand and swiped it at Link. He stooped to the floor as she plunged it into his shoulder. But before she could strike again, he shoved her into the wall, and punched her hard enough to bang hre head back into the plaster. She sank to the floor, unconcious again.  
  
Shaking with nervousness and fury, Link gripped his shoulder tightly. Then he ran over to the phone and dialed a number.  
  
Zelda bolted upright in bed, the phone ringing right next to her. Her eyes blurred with drowsiness, she tried to pick it up.  
  
"C'mon, pick up!" Link moaned. "Please, pick up, Zelda!"  
  
"H-hello?"  
  
"Baby, it's me....it's me!"  
  
"Link, it's a quarter after one, what is it?!"  
  
"Another fight between me and Malon....she stabbed my shoulder, and I need--I need to talk to someone. C-could you meet me on the edge of Lacienega?"  
  
"Of course, I'll be there right away!" Zelda said. She hung up the phone and ran into her closet. She grabbed the first dress she saw (purple satin) and slipped it over her skimpy nightdress. Then she grabbed a long overcoat and hurried out of her door.  
  
She almost screamed when she saw her mother standing right outside her door. "And where are you going at this time of night, may I ask?" Madeline asked her sweetly.  
  
"Please mother, I've got to go!" Zelda cried, trying to get past her.  
  
"It was the phone call, who was it from?" Madeline insisted. "Not me nor your father picked it up, and the maids are all in their bedrooms, where they are too far away to hear any phones ringing. Who was that call from?"  
  
"I can't tell you! And if I don't leave immediately, he's going to--"  
  
"He? Who's he?" Madeline inquired suspiciously. "Zelda, are you going around with some admirer I don't know about?"  
  
"Yes!" Zelda said, anything to make her mother shut up. "Yes, Richard Vey, Greer Garson's co-star! She introduced him to me one day at the studio and now we're lovers and he got in a fight with his wi--sister and he's dreadfully hurt and I have to go see to him immediately!"  
  
"Of course, child," Madeline said, after a pause. "You must go to him at once."  
  
Zelda flew down the staircase and grabbed the keys to her father's car. Within two seconds, she was out the door. But she knew eventually her mother would find out there was no relationship between her and Vey. She'd nose about, asking everyone everything about the two of them until she realized it was all a lie.  
  
But she'd had to say it at the moment, or else her mother never would've let her go at such an hour. Hastily, Zelda turned on the windshield wipers as rain began to pour down at an alarming rate.  
  
She was cruising down Sunset as fast as she could, she wouldn't need to stay on it much longer--and then there was Lacienega Boulevard. Zelda pulled over immediately as she saw a stooped figure in the rain. Hurriedly she rolled down her window and said, "Quickly, get in the car!"  
  
Zelda stared as a strange man stepped into the car and said, "Thank you, Miss." She looked at him again, and then noticed Link on the other side of the street.  
  
Impatiently, she shoved the man out of the car. "Not YOU, I don't even know you!" Then she got out of the vehicle herself and ran across the gritty street to Link. "Link, I'm over here!"  
  
Link turned around and grasped his arm again as she ran towards him. "Where's your car? I need to sit down..."  
  
"It's right over here, come on!" She led him carefully into the automobile and then got in herself. "We've got to get somewhere where we can be alone," she said to him. After about twenty minutes of silent driving, she managed to find a deserted lot. Instantly, she parked the car and turned to face Link. Zelda gasped as she saw a large, bleeding bandage wrapped tightly around Link's arm. "Link! What did that cat do to you?!"  
  
"I told you," Link said through gritted teeth, trying to kill the pain. "She stabbed me with a knife."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sympathetically, Zelda positioned herself on his lap so as not to disturb his arm. "I wish there was something I could do!"  
  
"I told her I wanted a divorce," Link wheezed. "Saria helped me realize that I won't go broke if I divorce her. But when I told her about it, she refused. I tried to force her to agree with me, but she wouldn't. So I slapped her, she stabbed me, and then I slugged her again and now she's unconcious." He took a deep breath to steady himself.  
  
"I....oh Link, that's terrible...."  
  
"And she's been having little facades here and there," Link said. "Sometimes even not coming home at night, probably at Flynn's or Gable's or something like that." He choked on his words. "I don't know how to get back at her."  
  
Zelda lifted Link's hand and placed it at the base of her neck. "Use me at the next party you go to. Kiss me in front of her, make her jealous! We've got to come out about this at some point, Link!"  
  
His eyes widened. "Zelda, you know we could never do that! Besides, Hedda Hopper is at all of those parties, she'd have us on the front page in no time! And our families, what would they say? They would murder me, and I don't know what your folks would do to you!"  
  
"Not if they weren't there!" Zelda said desperately. "Please, I have to do this, I want to!" She emphasized this desire by kissing him passionately. Her mouth moved over each part of his lips, not wanting to leave any space untouched. Zelda's hands massaged his back and neck, stroking nearly every part of him except his wounded arm.  
  
"Maybe....you're right," Link breathed between kisses. "Did you get an invite to the next party at Davis'?"  
  
"You mean celebrating her new movie?" Zelda breathed, running her lips down his cheek. "Yeah."  
  
"Perfect," Link whispered sensually. "I'll be there, too. I'll take Malon along with me; she'd be thrilled to go. And then I'll give her a taste of her own medicine right there. And what's more, who's house to go to with a plan like this other than Bette Davis'? She'd revel in my revenge, she's just that kind of person."  
  
"I know," Zelda said softly, tracing his ear with her mouth. "I'd like very much to see her reaction...." Suddenly she pulled away from Link and asked, "But what if she tells your parents about all this?"  
  
"She won't," Link chuckled. "Or else I'll threaten to expose HER to her own parents. Her mother would highly disapprove of her running about with two other men while she's married to me."  
  
"How smart," Zelda cooed, smiling. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip slowly. "She'll never know what hit her."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Greer, I think I owe you an apology," Zelda said the next day.  
  
"You mean you dropped Link?" Greer asked hopefully with a grin.  
  
"Nope, not even close!" Zelda said, still smiling. "But I used your crush as an excuse to go see him in the middle of the night the other day. But only to talk with him about an argument he had with Malon."  
  
Greer's mouth dropped. "You mean that you said something about you and Richard? MY Mr. Vey?!"  
  
"Sorry," Zelda apologized. "But don't worry about it, my mother will figure out the truth sooner or later; and by then I'll have thought up another excuse."  
  
Sighing, Greer stood up. "All right, I just hope you know what you're doing."  
  
"Of course I do. You going to Bette Davis's party next week?"  
  
"I'm not sure if I want to go or not....why?"  
  
"You may be in for a pleasant surprise if you decide to show up, that's all." She smiled brightly. "I do hope you'll be there."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n: hope that was okay  
  
just wait till i add more! MUA HA HA HA!!! 


	9. Moguls always have their way

PHEW!! its great 2 b back!! its been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long since i've updated!! (sry) but heres a long chapter 4 ya's!! a lot happens, 2, so make sure not 2 skip anything important!!  
  
btw. if anyone is getting technical, i KNOW richard vey's last name is actually ney. but vey just sounds better. doesn't it? i think so. but anyway, here's the next chapter!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What's got you so worried, Greer?" asked Darunia as the two of them walked into Bette Davis's party.  
  
"I'm afraid that Zelda is going to do something drastic," Greer said. Then she stopped walking and faced Darunia. "You're friends with Link Harker, aren't you? Has he been....telling you anything lately?"  
  
Darunia stared at her, wondering what she was trying to ask. "Um, he said that he just declined the lead in Casablanca, and that his pet cat died the other day and that.... oh yes, he's recently purchased a second yacht."  
  
"Oh, that bloody actor!" Greer cried, startling the butlers awaiting them at the door. Daruina and Greer walked into the grand domain and handed their coats to a nearby employee. "Darunia, didn't he mention to you that he's been having a hidden affair with Zelda Jones?!"  
  
"Nooo....."  
  
"I don't believe his nerve!" Greer cried. "This has been going on for quite some time, and he didn't tell you!? Darunia, you know the gravity of this entire situation, don't you?"  
  
"You mean Rick Blaine?"  
  
"NO! I mean the whole Zelda-Link-romancey thing!"  
  
"Well personally, I don't see any harm in it," Darunia said, shrugging. "In spite of the fact that Link is already married--although unhappily--I can't exactly see why this is a bad thing. Would you mind telling me why it's bothering you?"  
  
"You oblivious, ignorant idiot!" Greer whispered sharply, pulling Darunia into an empty room. "Don't you read Variety? Who are the biggest rivaling families in Hollywood? Surely you know that one."  
  
"Oh, I know this!" Darunia said. "Uh....are the Barrymores one of them?"  
  
"The Harkers and the Joneses, you fool! They've been rivals ever since Vaudeville, and we all know how long ago that was! If Madeline Jones found out that her daughter was seeing Link Harker, she'd murder Zelda within two seconds!"  
  
"Now that's a bit of an exasperation," Darunia said.  
  
"Oh, all right," Greer sighed. "She wouldn't KILL her, but something terrible would happen! And if the secret ever leaked out, it would be spread all over the papers! People would eat them up! And I want Zelda to learn this is all a big slip-up before the whole world knows about it!"  
  
"Relax, it's no big deal," Darunia said calmly. "You know that Harker fellow. He 'falls in love' with every actress he does a movie with. I'm his sole psychiatrist. He tells me everything. And besides, everybody is entitled to make mistakes, aren't they?"  
  
"Have you gone mad?" Greer asked him indignantly.  
  
"No, I think YOU'RE the one who has gone mad."  
  
Greer ignored him and kept going. "When any normal person makes an error, almost no one else finds out! It's a secret for themselves and a few people around them! But when someone like us makes a mistake, Darunia, it's all over the front page! We can't escape that!" She took a deep breath. "And another thing! Link is already married, doesn't that disturb you in the least??"  
  
"Technically speaking, he's not really married."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean??"  
  
"He called me this morning and told me that Malon just filed for a divorce."  
  
Greer's mouth dropped. ".....................no." With that, she ran out of the room and tried to find Link and/or Zelda. "They have to be here, Zelda is never late for an extravagant party like this!!....oh no, I really HAVE gone mad. I've started talking to myself again! GR!"  
  
"Din! I didn't know you were here," Zelda said on the other side of the house. "How are you enjoying the party?"  
  
The dancer stepped out of the corner she'd been standing in, and tried to wipe away at the tears that were flowing down her face. "It's a horror." She grimaced at Zelda's confused expression. "Didn't you see the paper today?"  
  
"No, I didn't, I was busy all morning."  
  
"Well take a look at it now!" Forcefully, Din shoved the paper in her face. "And if you're wondering why I'm carrying it around in my purse, you'd best not ask. I'd rather not say."  
  
Zelda's eyes widened as she glanced at the headline: "Hungarian Dancer Accused of Robbery". She turned to face Din. "Robbery?! YOU?"  
  
"That's why everyone's so terribly uptight around me," Din explained sadly. "They all think I'll steal their jewels right underneath their nose, but I wouldn't! I'm not a thief, I tell you! I was accused of this--this felony when I was living in Hungary .... I thought I could escape it by coming here."  
  
"But apparently you couldn't," Zelda said, handing the newspaper back to her. She paused. "How did you get to America if everyone in Hungary thought you were a criminal?"  
  
"I stowed away on a ship," Din explained. "There was no other way."  
  
"I see..." Zelda said slowly. "This seems somewhat serious. What did you allegedly steal?"  
  
"Some dia--" Din stopped mid-sentence and guided Zelda to a secluded corner near a large potted palm. "Some diamonds from one of the biggest jewel-makers in town. But I did not do it! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! And now the Hungarian .... police know where I am, and I'll probably be killed!" She broke into a fit of sobbing hysterics.  
  
"No, no, don't cry," Zelda pleaded, putting her arms around her and hugging her in a sisterly fashion. "All we need to do is prove your innocence .... we can try you here, in court, right? Uh......"  
  
"ZELDA!! There you are, I've been searching for you all over the place!" came a sharp British voice from nearby. Din and Zelda turned around to see Greer stalking towards them. "All right, where's Link?"  
  
Forgetting the conversation she'd just had, Zelda smiled widely. "He's getting a divorce from Malon! They're having a meeting now with their lawyers, and it'll all be over by tomorrow! Isn't that wonderful??"  
  
"But doesn't it take months to get a divorce?" Greer asked.  
  
"Yes, that's what I asked. Then Link told me he's been preparing papers for the longest time, even without Malon's consent. But neither of us expected her to be the one to file for the divorce."  
  
After a short silence, Greer put on a strained smile. "Well....then! I am so... happy for you, if that's the....case."  
  
"It's so nice to have a friend who cares!" Zelda gushed.  
  
"So who is that you were just talking to?"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, this is--" Zelda turned to introduce Din, but no one was there. In confusion, she looked around. "Oh no, she left! I was hoping to be able to introduce the two of you to each other."  
  
"Wait a minute, was that that Hungarian dancer?" Greer asked. "Din? The one who robbed a--"  
  
"Well, yes and no," Zelda sighed. "She's the dancer, but she isn't a criminal. She was .... framed, or something! She told me that she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
  
"Zelda, she might not be telling the truth," Greer said uncomfortably. "How do you know she isn't lying?"  
  
"I--I don't for sure," Zelda stammered. "But I don't think she's the type of girl who would lie to me."  
  
Greer sighed. "Well now she'll have two police systems after her, and I don't think there's any evidence pointing in her favor. That's what the article said, anyway. But we don't know whether she herself is lying or telling the truth, Zelda. You never know these days."  
  
The two of them stared at each other in disdain for a while, each wanting to explain to the other what their beliefs were exactly.  
  
"I think I'll go find Bette," Zelda finally muttered. "It's not polite to avoid a hostess at her own party."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Zelda?"  
  
"Link!" Zelda slid off the bed and sat on a chair nearer to the telephone. "I've been waiting all morning for your call! Quick, tell me! How did last night go?" She frowned when there was a silence. "..... Link? ..... hello?"  
  
"Let's just say that I hate the word allimony."  
  
"ALLImony?!" Zelda asked incredulously. "For what you can get her for, you shouldn't have to give her a dime!! What in Mary's name does she need allimony for?!"  
  
Link sighed again. "She's going to have a baby."  
  
Zelda dropped the phone from shock. She could hear Link's voice calling from the other end of the phone on the floor, wondering where she'd gone. Slowly, Zelda picked it up again and said, "How much? How much allimony did that hideous animal ask you for, anyway?"  
  
"She--She wants ten grand."  
  
"Ten thousand dollars?!" Zelda asked in disbelief. "I can't--that's inconceivable!! Ten thous--she's going to be re-married in no time, anyway!"  
  
"She's a conniving monster, that's what she is," Link huffed scornfully. "Tearing everything she can out of my wallet. Not like I can't afford it, but I still can't get over the fact that she asked for that much."  
  
There was a silence. Then Zelda asked, "How much longer is she going to be staying in your house?"  
  
"Just 'til the end of the week. She's got an apartment to stay at, so...." There was another uncomfortable pause. "I'd better go," Link finally said. "I'm supposed to be down at breakfast in a couple minutes."  
  
"All right....goodbye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Three days later, Zelda was walking off the set of her movie with Nayru.  
  
"Phew! All that dancing about has me pooped," Nayru sighed. "Wish I could get that Hungarian gal to give me a hand sometime."  
  
"Din! Oh no, I've forgotten all about her! Have you seen her around, Nay?"  
  
"Nope. Not all week. I know she likes to hang around the lot, but her scene's already been finished. Maybe she decided to quit coming."  
  
Zelda was pretty sure that wasn't the reason.  
  
"Um....I mean to tell you this earlier," Nayru said, fumbling a bit with something. "But you're supposed to be in Meyer's office right now. He and Gannondorf are in there now, and they said it was important."  
  
Zelda shivered. "I wonder what they want with me....I haven't been doing anything wrong, have I?"  
  
"Relax," Nayru told her. "It might not be a bad thing, y'know. I'll see you later, I'm heading for the Brown Derby."  
  
"See you."  
  
Nayru sighed as she saw her friend walk towards the office building. She knew what the meeting was about, but had been too afraid to tell Zelda herself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well then, what's this all about?" Zelda asked politely, once arriving in Louis B. Meyer's office.  
  
Meyer leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers. "It's about your--it's about Link Harker."  
  
Zelda's smile faded. "Oh. How did you find out about that?"  
  
"Dear friend of Link's told us," Gannondorf asked us. "Y'know, Darunia. I don't think he meant it in a bad way, but it kind of slipped, and Mr. Meyer and I sort of think that it's a problem."  
  
"Why?" Zelda blurted. "Why is it a problem?"  
  
Meyer glanced at Gannondorf, then shifted his gaze back to Zelda. "My dear Ms. Jones, you know perfectly well 'why'. Yes, the chemisty is good for the selling of the picture, but there are more cons than pros in this situation. Even if Link just got his divorce, he's already been married twice and it appears that this romance has been going before he and his wife seperated. And also, I don't think that it's very good publicity for the studio."  
  
"Now explain that one to me," Zelda said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Simple," Gannondorf obliged. "You are a Jones, he is a Harker. Jones + Harker = big fight. Nothing like a family feud to break up a romance, I'm afraid."  
  
"So now my life has turned into a Romeo and Juliet story, is that it?!" Zelda asked in rage.  
  
"But it's true, Zelda!" Meyer insisted. "It won't look good on us for you to be together."  
  
"So now everything I do reflects on the studio??" Zelda demanded. "I don't believe this! Does my life not belong to me?!"  
  
"Yes, it is your life," Meyer consented. "But without me, that life can perish, go to waste, and then slowly diminish. I hold the strings, Jones, and it isn't wise to make me yank on them too hard." The mogul's expression was now so stern and red that it would scare the skin off of anyone--except Zelda.  
  
"Why do you want to control me?!" Zelda cried. "You've got everyone! Gable, Lawford, Garland, and that ludicrous cartoon rabbit--anyone and everyone! It's like you say--more stars than there are in heaven! Why must you punish me out of everyone?!"  
  
"We're doing this because we have to," Gannondorf said. "We don't want you to have to face your parents, either, Zelda. You know as well as we do that you can't just go about--"  
  
"I am old enough to make my own decisions!" Zelda shouted, standing up in fury.  
  
"We respect that, Zelda," Meyer said. "But the bottom line is that this affair with Harker has to end."  
  
Biting on her lip to keep herself from crying, the actress ran out of the room and closed the door loudly behind her. Blindly, Zelda ran straight into the arms of her best friend.  
  
"Zelda, I'm so sorry!"  
  
Zelda lifted her head and stepped out of Greer's embrace, which she had just sped right into. "You .... you know what just went on in there?"  
  
"Well yes, for two reasons," Greer sighed. "You three were shouting so loud, I'm sure that those in RKO could hear you .... and Nayru just came and told me why you were in that meeting."  
  
"Do you mean to tell me that Nayru knew about this?" Zelda asked in shock.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That--"  
  
"But Zelda, this is all my fault!" Greer whimpered. "I'm the one who told Darunia about in the first place! If I hadn't said anything to him, he wouldn't have mentioned anything to Loxley and Meyer!"  
  
Staring at her, Zelda's face began to turn a deep red again. "Why did you tell him?! WHY?!"  
  
"I was worried about you!" Greer said. "I--I needed to talk to someone, I wanted somebody to help me put some sense into you!"  
  
"Well you didn't do too well, Garson!" Zelda cried. "All you got me was a huge argument with my boss that could easily lose me my career and a REALLY bad mood! Thanks for being a friend!" Breathing heavily, Zelda turned on her heel and was about to walk away.  
  
"Zelda--"  
  
"Stop!" Zelda shouted, swinging her arm behind her and striking Greer's cheek. "From now on, I'd really appreciate if you'd just let my life be my life, and keep your nose out of my business!!"  
  
With that, she ran as fast as she could out of the building.  
  
She didn't know where to go for comfort. Zelda stopped outside the building and waited for an idea to come. Then she had it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'll get it!" Link called, as a knock sounded at his door. Not like Malon would've answered it anyway, and it was those stupid butlers' week off. He opened the door, and his mouth dropped in shock. "Zelda?!"  
  
"Link!" She ran into the house and threw her arms about him. Tears were splashing onto his shoulder as the door swung shut. "L-Link, I'm--I'm-- "  
  
"Calm down, Zel," Link said, prying her off of him and leading her onto a couch in the living room. "Please, just tell me what the problem is."  
  
"Meyer knows what's going on b-between us," Zelda whispered, clinging to Link. "I just came out of a meeting with him, a-and he told me we've got to stop seeing each other! And I d-don't know what to do!"  
  
Link tried to quiet her down. "S'okay, Zel. We can just keep this thing going. Some big-headed studio boss isn't going to come inbetween us. He can't break up love. Just 'cause he's so important makes him think he can get away with anything. You just calm down--it's all going to his head, I tell ya."  
  
"B-but Link, he CAN get away with anything! You know that!"  
  
"Not something like this," Link insisted quietly. He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. "You don't have to worry."  
  
Zelda shuddered and took a deep breath. Then she kissed him back--it seemed to reassure her a little. They stopped to catch their breath, and Link stood up.  
  
"I've gotta be going," he said. "I'm supposed to go to the harbor. Bogart wanted me to come watch him in a boat race. You wanna come?"  
  
Zelda stood as well. Then she looked upstairs. "Is Malon home?"  
  
"Yes....."  
  
"I'll meet you at the harbor," Zelda said distractedly, waving her hand at him. "I want to go have a word with your ex-wife."  
  
Link shrugged with a sigh and headed out the front door. "Do whatever you want, Zel. It's your head, not mine."  
  
Slowly and steadily, Zelda climbed up the grand staircase. She was going to have this out with Malon once and for all. She wasn't afraid. But she did freeze when she saw Malon standing at the top of the stairs.  
  
"I thought I heard someone down there," Malon muttered, looking Zelda up and down. "So you're the one who made Link want to leave me, huh?"  
  
"He wanted to leave you before he even met me," Zelda chuckled. "You made him suffer for what he didn't want. I'm making him happy for what he DOES want." She smirked at her.  
  
Stiffening, Malon walked into another room and motioned for Zelda to follow. Cautiously, she did. Walking over to a small green purse, Malon opened it and got out a signed check. "This is what you want, isn't it? I haven't cashed it yet."  
  
Zelda wanted to tell Malon she'd had no right asking for allimony from Link, but she knew that as a soon-to-be-mother, she had every right to. Zelda remained silent.  
  
Laughing, Malon waved it in front of her. "I should've gotten this divorce a long time ago. Especially if Link already knows about the other little flings I've been having."  
  
"You are more typical than I even dared to hope," Zelda growled.  
  
"Well that goes double, sister," Malon laughed. "What did you come up here for, anyhow?"  
  
"I understand that you need allimony," Zelda said quietly. "But I think that ten thousand dollars is a lot of money to ask for--even if you are becoming a mother."  
  
"Ha! Look at the humble one! Listen honey, this baby is all a matter of opinion." Malon began to walk back to her purse.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked slowly, walking closer.  
  
"Just as I say," Malon said sweetly. "In my opinion, I'm going to have a baby. But some may disagree with me." Now it was her turn to smirk.  
  
Zelda stared at her. Then she struck out with her hand again and whacked Malon on the side of her head. "You animal! You monster!" As Malon tried to stand back up, Zelda reached down and took the check out of her hand.  
  
"Give that back to me, Jones!" Malon whispered sharply, getting to her feet.  
  
With a blank expression, Zelda tore the check slowly into small pieces. "Give what back to you?"  
  
"You're skating on thin ice now, Jones!"  
  
"No, you are!" Zelda said back. "Do you know what I could do to you for lying to the government about something like allimony?! You could be imprisoned for life! So don't even think of trying to get me in hot water, you understand?!"  
  
Malon grimaced darkly at her. "You.....you....."  
  
"You keep that thought," Zelda said, walking out of the door. Grinning to herself, she flew down the stairs and picked up a telephone. She asked the operator for Shirley Harker's number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, is Mrs. Harker there?"  
  
"Hold on a moment, please." ..........  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mrs. Harker, wonderful to talk to you--"  
  
"Who is this, may I ask?"  
  
"The name is not important," Zelda said, a sound of triumph in her voice. "But the next time you see your son, tell him that he is ten thousand dollars richer than he was yesterday. Compliments of a dear friend. Good-bye."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
well, that was a lot, wasn't it? oi. ah well. plz review, everyone!! 


	10. To Have and Have Not

A/N: this is sort of a short chapter, i hope u dont mind. anyway, u might want 2 reread the last chapter in order to understand what's....going on....  
  
the oscars aren't very far away!! in real life, or in my story...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Zelda, what did you do?" Link asked into the phone with exasperation.  
  
"What kind of greeting is that?" Zelda asked, filing her nails and balancing the phone on her shoulder. "And what's that question supposed to mean, anyway?"  
  
"I mean to Malon," Link said. "My mother told me she received some anonymous phone call telling her that I'm ten thousand bucks richer than I was yesterday. It has to do with that alimony, doesn't it? What did you say to Malon that day?"  
  
"She's the one who did the talking," Zelda assured him. "She told me that she was NOT going to have a baby. She lied about it so that she could fudge off as much money from you as possible."  
  
There was a long silence as Link mulled this over. "Malon lied about it? Does she have any idea what could happen to her for that?"  
  
"I think she understands now," Zelda said. "I tore up the check, so..."  
  
Link laughed. "I don't think she'll be giving us trouble any time soon." He paused, then said, "You know, this is our last day of filming, which means people on the set aren't going to expect to see us around each other anymore."  
  
Zelda breathed in sharply. "I know. But we'll be able to meet each other anyway, won't we?"  
  
"Of course, don't worry about it. We'll work something out. But I was wondering if you'd like to come on my boat after shooting wraps up. Bogart's bringing some of the boys over, too. I think it would be fun if you went there."  
  
"Sure, it'd be fun," Zelda agreed. "I'll see you in a while, then. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Aw, come on, doll," Humphrey Bogart said to Mrs. Harker. "You don't want that swine with ya, 'specially when you've got someone like me!"  
  
"Quiet, Michael!" Mrs. Harker breathed, turning away from him. "Besides, when I think of Cody and the way he--"  
  
"Your son'll be fine," Humphrey insisted. "You talk like he's a little kid. Cody can take care of himself, he's a big boy."  
  
"Are you talking about me?" Link said, suddenly walking through the doorway.  
  
"Honey, w-when did you get home?" Mrs. Harker asked, sitting up quickly and pushing herself out of Bogart's arms.  
  
"Apparently too soon," Link said angrily. "What're you doing here, Michael?"  
  
"Listen, wise guy," Humphrey said, striding over to him. "You ain't got no business askin' me what I'm doing. That's my own private stuff, kid, and I don't suggest you go around snooting about in it."  
  
"Well I think I have the right to be concerned if you're romancing my mother!" Link shouted, drawing back his fist and then bringing it dangerously close to Bogart's face.  
  
Crying in pain, Humphrey staggered back into the wall and collapsed onto the couch. Link looked at him, then his mother, and made his way back out the door.  
  
"CUT!" called Gannondorf. "And that's a wrap, people!"  
  
Yawning, Humphrey sat up and stretched. "Wow kid, you really had me going there for a minute," he said to Link. He got to his feet. "I was afraid you were gonna really whack me there!"  
  
Link laughed and shook Humphrey's hand. "I know you too well for that sort of thing, Bogart. If I'd really hit you back there, nothing could've stopped you from retaliating!"  
  
Humphrey laughed as well. "I'll see you at the docks in a minute, kid. I've just gotta stop by my dressing room first."  
  
"Okay, see you."  
  
"Hi Link," said Zelda, skipping up to him.  
  
"Oh, hey," Link said, giving her a brief hug and then walking out of the studio with her. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Yup, I'm really excited!" Zelda answered. "I haven't been on a boat for years!"  
  
"I think you'll like mine," Link said.  
  
"Hey, Ms. Jones," called out a company worker who shall remain anonymous. "Mr. Harker!"  
  
"Yes?" they asked simultaneously, turning towards him.  
  
"Mr. Meyer asked me to get you two in the Photography department right away," the studio hand replied. "He wants to do some publicity shots for the new picture."  
  
"Right now?" Link asked desperately. The man nodded. "We were just planning to go on an outing."  
  
"He wants to do it now," the worker insisted. "He says he wants to supervise, and he'll be much too busy to do it later."  
  
Sighing, Zelda said, "All right then. We'll just have to do that boating trip another time, Link. C'mon, we'd better get to Wardrobe."  
  
A little While Later...  
  
"You look very suave, Link," Zelda laughed, once they were in the photographer's studio. "Even in a traveling hat and coat."  
  
"Even though your outfit isn't very sexy, it makes you look...classy," Link offered, dropping the briefcase he'd been holding.  
  
"Um, thank you?"  
  
"All right you little love twerps," Meyer said, marching into the room. "For this first shot, I want the two of you dancing a little jazz, so- -"  
  
"Here, let us try it out," Zelda proposed.  
  
"Um, okayyy..."  
  
Sighing, Link took off his hat and overcoat. Zelda tossed her jacket into a corner, revealing a slim black dress, cut off at the knees. Taking his hand, Zelda distanced herself a bit, then did a quick little two-step. She looked over at Link, who was staring dully into space in front of him.  
  
"C'mon, Harker!" Meyer barked. "Smile a bit!"  
  
"Sorry, but I'm just feeling a little depressed that my boat party got canceled for some stupid publicity shots," Link moaned.  
  
"Just DEAL with it, Parker!" Meyer growled menacingly.  
  
Link dropped Zelda's hand. "And now you add insult to injury by getting my last name wrong!"  
  
"Oh, c'mon, dear," Zelda sighed, walking over to him. "Would this cheer you up at all?" She leaned over and kissed him briefly on the lips. "And you're so tense; lighten up a little," she purred, rubbing his shoulders and planting one more kiss on his neck.  
  
"Okay, I think that's enough," Mr. Meyer said loudly. "Can we get back to my photographs, please?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Well, I'm glad that's finally over with," Link sighed, as he and Zelda walked out of the studio.  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"Hey, there you are," said Humphrey, jogging up to them. "You guys were in there for a real long time!"  
  
"Tell me about it," Zelda sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Sorry if there was any confusion about the boat," Link apologized. "It was a very sudden, unexpected thing."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Humphrey said. "So don't worry about it. I ran into Meyer, who asked me why I was in a hurry. So I told him that I was planning on going on your boat with you and Zelda, and he sort of stared at me like I'd announced I was quitting the picture business and moving to Cuba. But then he said very curtly that you two wouldn't be able to go, because he was putting together a last-minute photo shoot."  
  
Link and Zelda stared at him. Then, as he turned back to run towards the studio, Link yelled, "I can't believe the nerve of that guy!!!"  
  
"Geez, what's eatin' him?" Humphrey wondered aloud.  
  
"You'll find out soon," Zelda said in a cold sigh. "But I'd be careful if I were you, you might be next."  
  
Humphrey stared after her as she walked away, and was left standing alone in confusion.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
An hour later, Humphrey was walking down the street to Grauman's Chinese Theater. "Hey, Greer," he called out, upon seeing one of his friends.  
  
Greer Garson turned around and stopped as she saw Humphrey Bogart running towards her. "Hello, Humphrey. Something the matter? You seem a little worried."  
  
"Worried? Link Harker just blew his top off at me!"  
  
"Oh, dear, not you too," Greer said. "Whatever for?"  
  
"I don't understand it," Humphrey sighed. "But see, I was planning to go on his boat with some of my buddies, and Zelda Jones. But when Louis Meyer asked me where I was going, and I told him with who and where, he--"  
  
"Well, that was your fatal mistake," Greer interruped, sighing.  
  
"WHAT was?!"  
  
"If you've got the time, I can explain it to you. But you've got to keep absolutely quiet about it."  
  
"My lips are sealed and my ears are open, dough eyes."  
  
"Okay....first thing, don't ever call me that again."  
  
"Got it."  
  
And, heaving another sigh, Greer began to spill out the story to her reliable old pal.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell? i hope that was ok, even though it was really short! plz review!! 


	11. The Accident and the Oscars

A/N: WOAH!! This is like, 11 pages!! but a lot happens, so be prepared and make sure not 2 skip over anything!!  
  
KEY THINGS 2 REMEMBER: 1. Greer and Zelda were, at one point, not talking 2 each other b/c greer was forcing herself into zelda's affair w/ link. and 2. din was framed in hungary for robbing a store....ok, hope u all ready for dis!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Three Months Later....  
  
Link picked up his ringing telephone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi Link, it's Zel."  
  
"Oh, hi!"  
  
"I guess you've heard that the Oscar nominations are out and everything. I'm sorry you didn't get into the race. I really think that you should've gotten a nomination, not that ridiculous Gary Cooper person. And if you ask me, James Cagney strutting about in an Uncle Sam outfit doesn't exactly seem like Academy material either." She said all this very quickly.  
  
"Your consolation is very comforting," Link laughed. "Thanks. Oh, but what am I thinking? Congratulations on your second nomination for Best Actress."  
  
"Oh, thanks," Zelda said modestly. "I couldn't believe my ears when I found out. But then, the film was quite a popular one, with the critics and the audiences. I've been skimming a few magazines, and most are aghast that our families agreed to actually shoot a picture together."  
  
"Yes, I know," Link sighed. "That reminds me--how does our dear little Mrs. Miniver feel about her nomination?"  
  
"Oh, Greer's just ecstatic about it, dahling," Zelda said, imitating Greer Garson's British accent. "We finally decided to get out of the argument we were in, and we've been talking more than ever, now."  
  
"That's good to hear," Link said, who had never even known that Zelda and Greer had been fighting. "She's going to be disappointed though, when you're the one taking home the Oscar."  
  
"Link, don't be ridiculous," Zelda laughed. "She's got just as good a chance as I do for winning. In fact, she's more likely, seeing as how she was the one with the war propaganda film."  
  
"Judges aren't supposed to consider that sort of thing, though," Link pointed out.  
  
"That doesn't mean that they don't," Zelda said. "Oh, I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet Joan Fontaine on Lacienega in about fifteen minutes. Bye!"  
  
"Bye..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What is it, Nayru?"  
  
Nayru stopped as she heard Greer's voice from behind her. Slowly, she turned. "What do you mean?" she asked in an unusually high-pitched voice.  
  
"You seem a little nervous about something," Greer said. "I'd like to know what it is, if you don't mind."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"It's something. And you know I won't let you alone until you tell me what it is you're trying to hide."  
  
"Nothing, I've just come from the Harkers, that's all." Nayru tried walk briskly away, but Greer grabbed her shoulder and forced her to face her.  
  
"You've done what?!"  
  
"Don't be angry at me, Greer!" Nayru said in a frightened voice. "I only did what I thought was right! I didn't believe that Link Harker should go around fooling with Zelda's emotions anymore, and I told Shirley in an attempt to get her to break them up!"  
  
Greer stared at her. "You've just done this NOW?!" Fearfully, Nayru nodded. Greer sighed. "Then I feel sorry for you. If there's one thing I've learned from this affair, it's to keep out of my friends' business. Zelda can deal with this sort of thing herself, but now I'm afraid that Mrs. Shirley Harker is going to have to intervene....I'm not saying you did the wrong thing, though."  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"....well, so what if I am? At least I'm not slapping your head off, which is what'd I'd be doing if I was Zelda."  
  
Nayru's eyes widened. "Do you think she'll be angry with me??"  
  
"Angry doesn't even begin to describe it," Greer said lightly, walking away. "But on the up side, at least everyone in the United States thinks you're a shoe-in for Best Suppporting...." (A/N: that implies that Nayru got nominated 4 best supporting actress, just so u know).  
  
Nayru slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh, what did I do?!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Din looked cautiously out her window. She had to be very careful these days. The police weren't exactly after her, but the Hungarians were almost hot on her tail. She sighed and stared at the front door. Going out of her house put her in serious jeopardy most of the time. But she had to try once more, and this would determine the decision she had been trying to make for so long.  
  
Holding her breath, Din put a hand on the doorknob and pulled. She was immediately greeted by flashing bulbs and jabbering newspapermen.  
  
"What do you have to say on being accused of the robbery?"  
  
"Any comment? No comment?"  
  
"C'mon, give us a pretty smile for the camera!"  
  
In silent shock, Din immediately shut the door. This was seconds after she noticed Zelda standing across the street, who had stopped to stare.  
  
Gritting her teeth, Zelda ran to Din's home and threw herself into the crowd of reporters and photographers. "Get away, you carnivores!!"  
  
"Ah, an elegant remark from a refined lady!" called out one photographer.  
  
"Leave me alone!" Zelda shouted, wishing she wasn't causing such a scene in front of her friend's house. "I'm warning you, just leave me alone!!"  
  
"Is Din a friend of yours?" asked one reporter. "Do you think she's guilty of the crime? Did she tell you anything?"  
  
Zelda knocked on the door behind her. "Din, let me inside!!" There came no answer. Shielding herself against the glare of the camera flashes, Zelda reached blindly for the doorknob. She finally found it and pushed. She successfully got into the house, and whammed the door shut behind her.  
  
Breathing in sharply, Zelda heard a clatter and the sound of footsteps running above her head. She turned around and looked as Din's lovely--but worried--face came into view just by the stairway.  
  
"Zelda! What're you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"I saw the commotion from the other side of the street and walked over," she answered breathlessly, walking towards the stairs. "Din, are you all right? I'm so sorry, I haven't come by to see you--"  
  
"It's okay, I've been very busy anyway," Din said hurriedly.  
  
After hesitating, Zelda began to climb up the stairs. "Are you sure you're all right? You seem sort of...."  
  
"I'm fine," Din said a little too quickly. "Really."  
  
"You're shaking," Zelda said, getting closer. "I think those reporters were getting a little too close to you." She stopped on the second floor. "You look scared to death, you poor dear!"  
  
"N-no, I'm all right, really," Din insisted.  
  
"Darling, you're a terrible liar," Zelda said, grinning. "Is there a bathroom nearby? Perhaps all you need is a good dose of water." She walked down the hallway in search of a bathroom.  
  
"A good dose of SOMEthing," Din muttered to herself. "No, Zelda! Please don't go in there!" she suddenly cried, as Zelda opened the door to the bathroom.  
  
She came to a dead halt. Zelda swore her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing for a few moments. On the vanity and floor of the bathroom lay a large collection of pills and bottles, many of which had been spilled onto the floor. Her eyes glazed over as the image before her drilled itself into her mind.  
  
"Din," Zelda said quietly, slowly turning to face her. "What....is this?"  
  
Like a child who had been caught taking candy from a drugstore, Din lowered her head and looked away from Zelda. "What do you think? Why do I have to tell you what I was doing, when it's right before your eyes?"  
  
"But--but why?!" Zelda gasped. "Din, why--" She grabbed Din's shoulders and turned her around. "Look at me! Why would you want to do something like this to yourself?! You've no reason for it!"  
  
"I do!" Din insisted, pulling herself out of Zelda's grasp. "You don't know what it's like, Zelda! Being chased down, on the run from a past you're trying to forget! I came to America because I thought I could escape all the injustice and all the cameras I left back home! But I guess I was wrong--I can't spend another second of this--this daily agony! I haven't left my home for days because if I do, my face will be splattered all over the front pages of a newspaper!"  
  
"Why didn't you ask for help, Din?!" Zelda asked. "Why didn't you tell me everything when you told me about the frame job?"  
  
"I was scared," Din said, rubbing her arms. "I was afraid. Ever since America found out about my past, my life has gone downhill. I've started drinking--and I never did before, I began smoking again, I--I did things I shouldn't have, and now look at me! I am a mess!"  
  
For the first time, Zelda noticed Din's slightly matted hair, the lack of makeup, the bags under her eyes, and the bruises on her arms. Zelda shook her head in disbelief. "Please, why don't you just stop and let me talk this out with you?"  
  
Din recoiled. "No! You don't understand! My life has been ruined by one person, who thought they would get a laugh out of framing me of a robbery!" Steady tears flew down her cheeks, and she wiped distractedly at them. "I don't like my life, Zelda, but there isn't anything I can do!"  
  
"Yes, there is!" Zelda insisted.  
  
"There isn't!" Din cried. "It's as if you--you make a wrong turn when you're driving your car. You try to find when you went wrong, but you just can't! And then every turn you make after that is just wrong, wrong, wrong! And you'll never be right again! What do you do then, huh?  
  
Zelda let her cheeks be stained red with small tears as she walked closer to Din. "You stop and ask somebody for directions."  
  
Din stared back at her, breathing sharply, her breaths uneven due to a small sob now and then. Zelda put her arms around her and drew her into a sisterly hug. Din continued to cry loudly, and Zelda tried to calm her.  
  
"I can't believe what I was doing," Din sobbed. "If you hadn't come just now, I--I'd be gone!"  
  
"Shh, you'll be all right now," Zelda said quietly. "Just calm down, please. Why don't you come home with me, and we can talk this whole thing out?"  
  
"You don't have anything else planned?" Din whispered, pulling away.  
  
"Well, um....actually, I was supposed to meet Joan Fontaine in a few minutes, but I think this a little more important than lunch. I can see her later." Zelda slowly guided Din down the stairs. They stopped before going out the front door. Zelda glanced out of a window nearby. "Don't worry, Din....the photographers are gone."  
  
The two of them made their way out of the house, and quickly across the street to Zelda's car.  
  
"Oh please, could I drive?" Din asked quietly. "I haven't driven a car for the longest time, it seems....you'd just have to tell me where to go."  
  
"All right then," Zelda agreed, walking to the other side and sitting down in the passenger's seat. She waited for Din to start up the car, then said, "You'll need to turn the car around, then drive straight for a little while."  
  
"Okay."  
  
There was silence as they drove. Zelda was still milling over the last few minutes in her mind. What would've happened if she hadn't gone into the house just then? Would Din really have gone through with it and killed herself? She shivered slightly, then noticed that she was shaking a little from the shock of it all.  
  
Din glanced over at Zelda. She looked really nervous about something, but then she probably had the right to. Then Din saw something out of the corner of her eye, and noticed a blue car swerving right towards her.  
  
"Din--!" Zelda cried out, snapping her attention towards the other car.  
  
(a/n: 4 those of u w/ queasy stomachs, this following part may....um.... freak you out a little)  
  
It all happened in about four seconds. The blue vehicle literally smashed into the driver's side of Zelda's car, causing it to almost jerk forward. Din, whose mind had been too out of focus to put on a seatbelt, was hurled forward into the front window of the car. Zelda cried out in horror as she saw blood seep onto the glass and hood of the car.  
  
Quickly she reached out her leg and slammed it down onto the break. She stared in pure shock in fright as the body in front of her continued to bleed profusely--the traffic around her stopped.  
  
Though the accident had left Zelda almost unscathed, it had cost Din her life.  
  
Screaming in rage, Zelda flew out of the car and looked behind her. She saw a man jump out of the blue thing that had hit them, and he raced down the street in the opposite direction. Zelda streaked after him--this wasn't very easy, because she was wearing a dress and heeled shoes.  
  
"SOMEBODY STOP THAT MAN!!" she shouted. "STOP HIM!!"  
  
He turned a corner that led onto Lacienaga, and Zelda followed him. A stitch in her side was beginning to hurt intensley--she wasn't used to running this fast. A couple of people had joined her chase, heeding to her calls for help.  
  
As the man prepared to turn another corner, a woman jumped out of no where and pinned him to the ground. He struggled to get up, but she whammed him on the head with her bag, and he was immediately knocked out.  
  
"Joan!" Zelda breathed, upon seeing her friend, Ms. Fontaine, sitting on the criminal.  
  
"Sheesh, I've been waiting here for you for twenty minutes," Joan complained, standing up. "But I heard someone screaming to stop this guy, so I attacked him. What's wrong?"  
  
Zelda stared at the man, then back at Joan. "I don't think I really want to answer that question right now. All I can say is that that man is going to face the death penalty for what he just did."  
  
"Someone call the police," said one of the guys who had been helping Zelda chase the man.  
  
Zelda turned with tears in her eyes (again) and ran back to where her car was. She was a little surprised to see an ambulance and a police car there already, but shook her head and walked towards them. Then she came to an abrupt halt.  
  
"Miss Jones, is this your car?" an officer asked her. "We have a witness here who says she saw you run out of it."  
  
"Yes, it's mine," Zelda said hoarsely, after searching briefly for her voice. "But I didn't do anyth--"  
  
"Yes, we know," the policeman interrupted. "Do you know what happened to the man who did it? Did he run?"  
  
"He's being held on Lacienaga Boulevard," Zelda stammered, sweating. "But.... but is Din--is she...."  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am, but there's nothing we can do for your friend," the officer said solemnly. "The accident was obviously not premeditated, but....she is dead."  
  
Zelda turned away and tried choking back her tears. She ran--ran, and she knew she was going to run all the way home.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Zelda shut the front door of her house behind her. She had to forget what had just happened to her. She had to get those pictures out of her brain--of Din's bleeding corpse lying on the hood of the car, a somewhat shocked look on her face. The image of the pills and bottles laying on her bathroom sink .... Zelda only wanted to forget everything that had happened that day.  
  
"There you are, Zelda," Madeline said, appearing out of nowhere. "I have something I'd like to speak to you about."  
  
"Can't it wait?" Zelda asked sharply, trying to walk upstairs.  
  
"Zelda," Madeline persisted. "This cannot wait; we have to talk right NOW." Zelda stopped and her mother continued. "Shirley Harker came here this afternoon, and she told me that you've been seeing her son."  
  
Zelda stared at her. She had just witnessed one of her best friends dying, and her mother wanted to talk about her love life? "Mother, this is really not a good time to discuss this."  
  
"It's the perfect time," Madeline said quietly. "How long has this been going on? Why did it--when did it start?! How could you do this to me, Zelda?!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"What do you think I mean?!" Madeline asked. "Having a relationship with scum like Link Harker, and--"  
  
"Mother, you don't even know him!!" Zelda shouted.  
  
"You know we do not approve of him, or his family!"  
  
"Stop treating me like a little girl! I'm old enough to make decisions on my own! And I'd really like to talk about this right now mother, I really would, but I just had to see my best friend get killed in a car accident in the seat right next to me, so I would prefer to have just SOME time alone!!" Then Zelda let out another quick sob and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.  
  
Madeline stood there in shock. Her best friend had just died? It took a moment for this to compute....then she slapped herself on the forehead. It was easy to see that Zelda was experiencing something emotional when she first walked in the door--why did she have to attack her so suddenly?  
  
Zelda heard someone knock on her bedroom door. "Go away!" she cried out hotly.  
  
Undaunted, Madeline opened the door anyway and stepped inside. "We really do need to talk about this, Zelda."  
  
"I have no patience right now!" Zelda shouted. "So I suggest you get out of here, or else you'll regret it deeply! Link is--"  
  
"I'm not here to talk about Link," Madeline interjected. "I didn't know that you'd--I didn't know about your friend."  
  
Zelda drew her knees up to her chest and wept silently. "It's really painful to talk about it....even though it just happened. We were driving, and--and another car rammed into her side of the car, and it just....she....got killed."  
  
"I'm--I'm sorry, Zelda," Madeline said quietly, wishing there was something more to say."  
  
Breathing in gently, Zelda said, "Can we talk about this later, mother? I really just want to be alone right now."  
  
"All right." Madeline got up slowly, and shut the doors behind her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That next month, Zelda was still feeling as if a part of her was missing. She could never get that memory out of her mind, and it would be stuck with her forever. But thinking of Din's death wasn't that only thing that was haunting her.  
  
After she'd mostly gotten over the loss, Zelda had been harassed by her parents about Link. They said she didn't have a right to do this to their reputation, and she kept complaining about being treated like a child. It was awful, and got to the point that she couldn't stay under the same roof as them any more. Zelda moved in with Greer, and was going to be forced to see her parents gain this same evening: it was the Big Oscar night.  
  
"Is Link going to be meeting you there?" Greer asked, as a maid brushed out her hair for her.  
  
"Actually, I asked him to come pick me up, if that's all right," Zelda answered, standing by and watching. Her dress was a modest black one with thing straps, with sparkling sequins. A long golden necklace hung onto her, along with a bracelet that matched it in color.  
  
"Oh, it's fine with ME," Greer said. "But I believe your parents are going to be a tad bit upset about you showing up with him at a public ceremony such as this. You know the media is going to be all over you."  
  
"They already know," Zelda sighed. "We had a terrible rendevous with them just last week. Link and I braved the crowds and went out for dinner together. A herd of journalists and photographers showed up out of no where and asked us if they could get a picture."  
  
"Well, at least they asked," Greer said, as her maid walked away.  
  
"Well, when Link said no, they kept persisting," Zelda continued. "Link was a total dear, though, he just said, 'Look, I'm trying to have a nice quiet dinner with my girl here, and you guys are ruining the atmosphere for us.' Eventually, though, one of them snapped a picture."  
  
"Phew, I'll bet that knocked Link out of his chair," Greer laughed.  
  
"Tell me about it," Zelda sighed. "He snatched the camera right out of the guys hands, and smashed it onto the table. 'This time your camera, next time, your head,' he told them. Then they all dashed! It was rather amusing sort of, but it was also a little nerve-racking."  
  
"I'm sure it was," Greer said. A doorbell rang from the floor below them. "Well, that's either Link or Richard. Let's go, shall we?" The two friends walked down the stairs.  
  
"Just one thing," Zelda said. "I want to remember....if you end up bringing home the Academy Award, no hard feelings, all right?"  
  
"And vice versa," Greer said, shaking Zelda's hand as a servant opened the front door. "Richard!"  
  
"Link," Zelda said, walking forward and giving him a quick kiss. "How nice that you both got here at the same time." She walked with him towards a long limousine, remarking, "You're the first of my beaus to ever get to a place on time, you know."  
  
"That's--um, great," Link said, opening the side door and then sliding in after her. The car started. (a/n: keep in mind that link isn't driving. he has a chauffer doing it) "I see you've taken refuge in a friend's house as well. I did too--I fled to Darunia's after my parents found out about...us."  
  
"I still can't get over what an influence they have on my life," Zelda scoffed. "It's like they want to control every little move I make!"  
  
"I know how you feel," Link sighed. He rested a hand on Zelda's cheek. "But nothing they said could ever make me stop loving you." He stared into her eyes, then kissed her hungrily.  
  
Her arms flew up about his shoulders, her lips surrendering to his roving ones, taking in all she could get. This past month had one of the coldest, darkest ones of her life, and she realized for the first time that love had been the key thing missing.  
  
A few moments later, Link's tongue had met Zelda's in a gentle parry. He moaned with satisfaction, pressing himself onto her harder. Suddenly he tasted a salty moisture on his tongue. He pulled away from Zelda, and realized she was crying.  
  
"Zel, what is it?" he asked quickly, helping her to sit straight.  
  
"You're--you're so wonderful," she choked. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until j-just now....because of my family, I've been unable to see you! It's like--it's almost like that Shakespeare story....oh, what was it called?"  
  
"Um, I forgot."  
  
"I love you," Zelda whispered, embracing him warmly. She pulled out a hand mirror and then laughed. "Oh, but look! You've gone and smeared my lipstick! I'll need to do it over!"  
  
"I don't think you should be laughing, here," Link said, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and rubbing the makeup off of his face. "Here, use this."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"We're here, Sir," said the driver from in front of the window seperating them. "At the Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel."  
  
"Yes, I guess I could tell from all the screaming," Zelda sighed, applying a new coat of lipstick. "Well Link, we won't be able to avoid those cameras now." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Then you get out first. I'm scared."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Link got up and walked over Zelda, opening the car door on the other side and taking her hand. Immediately the bulbs started flashing, and the two of them made their way down the red carpet and into the building.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n: sry about the whole din thing. but it had 2 b done. anyway, the next chapter will be up really soon. i was gonna put it into THIS chapter, but then it would b way 2 long. b prepared 4 more soon--also b prepared 4 this story to be FINISHED soon. and also b prepared 2 REVIEW!!! like, now! 


	12. And The Winner Is

A/N: well, this is the last chapter! (sob). i cover quite a bit, i think. so have fun reading, cuz i had fun writing! remember, link+zelda just arrived at the academy awards  
  


* * *

  
A short while later  
  


* * *

  
Link and Zelda sat down at a table near the left exit doors. Zelda leaned over to Link and said, "Look, there are your parents. They're staring at us." She nodded over to the right.  
  
"Don't they look happy?" Link remarked sarcastically. His parents were leering at them. He smirked, took Zelda's hand, and kissed her cheek swiftly.  
  
"Link, stop," she giggled. "What're you trying to do, make your parents kill me?"  
  
"Oh, I'm only having a little fun," he said. "And by the way, your parents are sitting just three tables away from us."  
  
Zelda looked quickly over at them, then said, "Well, what're you waiting for? Keep kissing me."  
  
Farore, meanwhile, was sitting at a far table with Nayru and Greer. "This is so terrifying! This is the scariest moment of my life!"  
  
"Oh, don't be," Nayru said, rolling her eyes. "Everybody likes that song you wrote; you're a sure win for Best Song."  
  
"That's easy for YOU to say!" Farore said nervously. "You're going to win your Oscar! In all the surveys and reviews and everything, it's been said that you're going to win for Best Supporting Actress! It's impossible for me to be as relaxed as you are!"  
  
"Then listen to me," said Greer. "I might not win this Oscar, but am I worried about it? No."  
  
"The award is going to go to you!" Farore insisted. "War propaganda movies are really in this year!"  
  
"You don't quite understand," Greer laughed lightly. "You know how Din just died last month?"  
  
"Please, don't let's talk about that," Nayru whispered, putting hand over her eyes. "That's just awful for me to have to think about."  
  
"Just let me finish what I'm saying," Greer said. "Din and Zelda were almost the best of friends, and Zelda was forced to see Din get speared by a glass window right before her eyes. Now just think about that for a moment. And on top of that, her parents and the media have been going nuts over her relationship with Link Harker. The Academy might give her a sympathy award."  
  
"So now you're saying that if Zelda got the Oscar, it wouldn't be because the Academy thought she deserved it?" Nayru and Farore asked in unison.  
  
"I'm not saying that!" Greer said hotly, a little angered. "But the Academy could've been considering somebody else to win as well, but they might be pressured to vote for Zelda because they feel bad for her!"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Nayru scoffed. "The Academy wouldn't do something that stupid."  
  
"I wouldn't be too sure," Greer said.  
  
(a/n: in case u were wondering, there has been the occasion where the academy of motion picture arts and sciences has given out sympathy oscars. it's kind of pathetic.)  
  
"Well, if it isn't the famous Zink team," said actress Vivien Leigh, approaching Zelda and Link's table with Laurence Olivier. "Mind if we have a seat here?"  
  
"Oh, please do," Zelda laughed. "The ceremony's about to start."  
  
"We got a flat," Laurence explained, sitting down. "Just outside the house. We couldn't believe our luck, and we would've gotten another ride, but  
  


* * *

  
"But everyone else had already left, and that was the only car we had with us," Vivien finished for him. "And it was awful, because our driver was new and he hadn't fixed a flat tire for a while, and he was so nervous-- because it was his first day on the job and everything."  
  
"Well, at least you got here before it started," Link remarked.  
  
There were loud cheers and applause as Bob Hope appeared on the stage with his microphone....and the ceremony began.  
  


* * *

  
"And the winner for Best Song is...." the presenter quickly read off the writing on the envelope and smiled. "Irving Berlin, for White Christmas  
  


* * *

  
The audience applauded as Mr. Berlin stepped up to accept his award (although Farore sobbed dramatically into her napkin, and was hastily comforted by her two friends). "NOOOOOO  
  


* * *

  
"Well, get ready," sighed Greer, patting Nayru on the back, as the presenter for Best Supporting Actress finished reading off the nominees.  
  
"And the winner is...." The presenter did a double take and stared at the card as Nayru rose slowly to her feet. "Teresa Wright, for Mrs. Miniver  
  


* * *

  
Farore's mouth dropped. Then everyone started clapping--with quick thinking, Nayru managed to make it seem as if she had started the standing ovation (as opposed to making an idiot of herself).  
  
"I don't believe it!" Greer said over the noise as Teresa flew towards the stage to accept her Award. "I thought for sure you were going to win, Nay!"  
  
"Well think of how I feel!" Nayru muttered. "Boy, how embarrassing that would've been if I'd stayed standing any longer!"  
  
Greer frowned as she slowly stopped her clapping and sat down again. If Nayru had been denied the Oscar, maybe she would too for her war picture.....besides, her own co-star had won for her performance, so maybe she had a chance too.  
  


* * *

  
"You know, some people have been telling the Academy to give special Oscars to the Joneses and the Harkers for having to do their picture together  
  


* * *

  
The audience screamed at the not-so-funny joke that Bob Hope cracked. Zelda rolled her eyes as a lady at the table next to them laughed particularly loudly. "Please, it's not that hilarious," she muttered.  
  
"You don't need to tell me," Link sighed. He glanced at Zelda, who was picking up things on the table and putting them back down, and fiddling with her necklace. "You're a little nervous about this, aren't you?"  
  
"About what?" she whispered, nearly knocking over her champagne glass.  
  
"Don't give me that. Your category is coming up soon, and you're tense. It's perfectly understandable."  
  
"I am not anxious about a-anything," Zelda stammered, her voice cracking. Up until this point, she had grimly thought that if she ended up getting the award, it would only be because the Academy felt bad for her....a sympathy Oscar. She would never accept that kind of treatment--she couldn't.  
  
But as the minutes rolled by, Zelda's heart began beating a little faster than usual. It suddenly struck her that her life could be changed if she got this award. Everyone knew that Oscar winners got much better offers and jobs once they'd won their Award. And Zelda felt herself suddenly wanting that Oscar more than anything else in the world.  
  
Her hands were getting damp with sweat; she'd been kneading them together in an effort to control herself. 'I can't believe I'm acting like this,' she thought to herself. 'This is pathetic.' But maybe it wasn't so pathetic, another part of Zelda reasoned. Everyone wants some sort of recognition for their talent at one point in their lives.  
  
"Link!" Zelda suddenly gasped, as the presenter for Best Actress stepped up to the microphone.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can't breathe!"  
  
Link laughed softly. "Brace yourself, Zel. You'll be taking the long walk up to that podium pretty soon."  
  
"Oh, stop."  
  
"And the nominees for Outstanding performance by a female in a Leading Role are," began the presenter, "Bette Davis in Now, Voyager (applause); Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver (loud applause); Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year (ear-splitting applause); Zelda Jones in Audrey and the City Thief (wild applause); and Rosalind Russell in My Sister Eileen (loud applause, with a few whistles thrown in  
  


* * *

  
(A/N: i know no one cares about this but me, but Teresa Wright also got nominated 4 best actress in The Pride of the Yankees--i had 2 leave her out, though, b/c only 5 actresses get nominated every year and zelda had 2 b in there. besides, wright already got her award 4 best supporting actress  
  


* * *

  
Zelda could suddenly hear her breaths coming out irregularly.  
  
Madeline Jones crossed her fingers. Even though she and her daughter were in a temporary rut, she knew how much an Oscar would mean to Zelda.  
  
"And the winner is...." the envelope was torn open. "Miss Greer Garson, for Mrs. Miniver!"  
  
The audience roared in approval, most getting to their feet and cheering loudly. The overwhelmed Brit put a hand to her forhead and then waltzed up to the stage. Farore glanced across the room at Zelda.  
  
Zelda slowly sat down (she'd been giving her friend a standing ovation), and felt her heart disintegrating into small pieces. She bit down on her lower lip and put her face in her hands. Oh, why was she getting so upset over just a silly little award? It was just ridiculous.  
  
"Hey!" hissed someone from the table next to them, as Greer began her acceptance speech. Zelda looked over at them. "Oh, why are you getting so upset over just a silly little award? It's just ridiculous."  
  
The speaker was Bette Davis. "It's easy for you to say, Bette," Zelda said. "You've already won TWO!" Then she looked over at Katharine Hepburn, who was sitting in one corner of the room with a scowl on her face (a/n: no need 2 worry, eh, kat? she'd go on 2 win more oscars than anyone in the history of the academy. and she had the most nominations, 2, until she got her butt kicked last year by meryl streep!! MUA HAA  
  


* * *

  
"Sorry, Zel," Link said softly, taking her hand. "I know how glad you'd have been with that Oscar."  
  
"Oh, I'm fine," Zelda insisted. "Quiet, I want to listen to Greer's speech."  
  
That was something Zelda ended up wishing she hadn't said. Greer's acceptance speech lasted a record-long (and it's still a record--they've put a time limit on speech length) five and a half minutes. (or something like that).  
  
"Dear, it's over," Madeline said, nudging John Paul.  
  
"Oh?" he said, opening his eyes.  
  
Zelda looked over at Rosalind Russell as Greer returned to her seat. Rosalind was calmly sitting with her husband, picking at something beneath one of her fingernails. Completely undaunted. Roz had once told Zelda, "What's the use of getting excited? I never win. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. That's me."  
  
"Well, at least Greer won it instead of that case Hepburn," Zelda said to Link. But another part of her was thinking that it was worse losing to your best friend than someone you hated. And this wasn't the first time she'd lost something to a friend.  
  


* * *

  
Greer saw Zelda and Link walking down the red carpet and quickly followed them. "Zelda, darling!"  
  
Zelda turned around, and smiled a bit as she saw Greer running towards them. "Hello, Greer."  
  
"Congratulations," Link said, noting the statue that Greer was holding.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" Greer said geniunley, smiling helplessly. "Zelda, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you  
  


* * *

  
"Don't tell me that you're sorry you won!" Zelda laughed. "Greer, I could not be any happier for you. You really deserved this Award, you really did. Everybody working on that film deserved it--though I must say, the Best Picture thing was a bit of a shocker to my father."  
  
"I know," Greer said. "He was counting on your film to win, wasn't he? I looked over at him when they said Mrs. Miniver won, and I swear--it looked as if he just saw his wife getting beheaded."  
  
"It was a rather humorous face, I have to say," Link said.  
  
"Well anyway, I don't think this night could get any better!" Greer announced. "Richard just popped the question, Zelda! And I said yes!"  
  
"Oh, you mean the guy who played your kid in Miniver?" Link asked in disbelief. "I find that very interesting."  
  
"Yes, so I'd better go find him," Greer said. "We got seperated in the crowd, and I don't want him to think that I ran away! Good-bye, Zelda! Bye, Link!"  
  
"Bye  
  


* * *

  
A few minutes later, Zelda and Link (after telling everyone else their good-byes), stepped back into their car.  
  
"Well, that was an exciting night, wasn't it?" Zelda asked lightly.  
  
"You're still upset about losing though, aren't you?" Link said, putting an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Just a--just a little," Zelda said. "But any one would. I mean, getting an Oscar is like having someone tell you....oh, I don't know. It's like you're being told that you're doing your job, and you're doing it well. That you're the top, the best, and I--I'm just tired of being looked down at."  
  
"YOU?" Link asked in shock. "Looked down at?"  
  
"Yes," Zelda replied. "People never treat me with enough respect, and I just want people to notice me. I want someone telling me that I AM doing fine, and I WILL go on with this career and just be something....great. Th- that I'm doing my job, and I'm doing it swell."  
  
"You don't need an award to tell you that," Link whispered, putting a hand gently under Zelda's chin and bringing her face closer to his. "Because let me tell you that you are one of the best actresses I've ever met." Zelda snorted a laugh. "No, it's true, Zel! I want to tell you how scared my mother was when she found out you'd be in this movie with us."  
  
"Scared?" Zelda asked. "Scared of what? She wasn't angry?"  
  
"Well, she was a little angry, yeah," Link said. "But she came to me and said, 'Oh, my reputation as an actor will be ruined! That Jones girl is going to beat the tar out of me with her performance. As much as I hate saying it, she's got more talent than her whole family put together!' She wasn't scared of your mother, or your father, she was only scared of YOU stealing the picture."  
  
Zelda stared at him. "Are you lying to me, Link?"  
  
"I would never lie to you," Link said honestly. "But if you won't take that, let me tell you, Zelda Jones, that there is no one like you in the entire world. You're doing your job. And you're doing it swell."  
  
"You're the sweetest person on earth!" Zelda cried, pulling him into a tight embrace. She kissed his lips tenderly, stroking his hair and moaning softly. Link kissed her back, but then pulled her off of him.  
  
"Wait, you didn't let me finish what I was saying," Link told her.  
  
"Oh, sorry. What were you going to say?"  
  
Link hesitated. "Zel, we've been seeing each other for a long time. But I think we've been holding back for a while because of our families. Because of our jobs, and our bosses. We've been holding back, because....they tell us we 'can't.'"  
  
"Holding back from what?" Zelda asked curiously.  
  
"Zelda, I want to know if you'll please, PLEASE marry me," Link said all in one breath. One hand was on Zelda's wrist, and the other was holding a blue diamond ring.  
  
Zelda stared at him in surprise. Her immediate reaction was to say, "Oh, yes! Yes, dearest!" like they did in the movies. But she had to think. But oh, a million thoughts were hitting her all at once! What would her parents say? What would her boss think? America's ultimate party girl-- married? And Link! He'd just been divorced! AAAH!!  
  
Link began to get a little nervous. Why couldn't the women be the ones who asked? It really wasn't fear. What if Zelda said no, and he'd made a fool of himself? What if he found out she'd never even loved him? All these ridiculous thoughts whirred through his head and he began to get more nervous by the second.  
  
"Oh, get UP here," Zelda said, pulling Link up closer to her. He'd been so scared and unrelaxed that he'd slid onto the floor of the car, still on his knees. Then she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him roughly. "Link, I will. I'll marry you."  
  
Lost for words, Link grinned and tried to say something. "I--I don't know what I'd have done if you'd said no," he finally managed to stammer. "But  
  


* * *

  
"Sir, we're at Miss Garson's house now," the driver notified him.  
  
"Oh, thanks  
  


* * *

  
Hastily, the two of them got out of the car. "I just don't know how to explain this to my parents," Zelda sighed nervously.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be able to think of something," Link told her. "I know we will. Hey look, here comes another limo."  
  
"Must be Greer," Zelda said. "Oh, won't it be wonderful to know that we've both been engaged on the same night?"  
  
Imagine their surprise when John Paul and Madeline Jones stepped out of the car and walked towards them. On the other side of the street, Robert and Shirley Harker got out of their own limousine and approached Link and Zelda. The two of them stared blankly as their parents stood on either side of them.  
  
"I thought you would come here," Madeline scoffed. "Escape to your dear little Garson's house."  
  
"You don't scare me, mother," Zelda said. "And you had better prepare yourselves for what we've got to say--all of you."  
  
"What is it?" asked Robert.  
  
"Well....Link, why don't you tell them?"  
  
"Me? What's the matter, are you scared or something?"  
  
"Of course not!" Zelda said. "Mother, father, Link and I are getting married!" She clasped a hand over her mouth. "Ohhhh  
  


* * *

  
"You're---you're WHAT?!" Shirley asked Link, enraged. "Link, why didn't you ask us first?"  
  
"Is there no respect for a father's approval anymore?" Robert inquired.  
  
"I don't think that what we do should have to be non-ceasingly censored by the four of you!" Link answered. "It's ridiculous that Zelda and I should have to do everything you tell us, just because of pride, and hate, and jealousy! I don't think you four even know anything about each other!"  
  
"Don't be a fool, boy," John Paul barked. "I know enough about your parents to make a donkey vomit!"  
  
The five of them stared at him. "My dear, you just made yourself sound like a first class idiot," Madeline said.  
  
"Because that's what he is!" Shirley said. "An idiot! And it runs in the family, I can see that!"  
  
"I beg your pardon!?" Zelda asked. "I'd care for you to take back that last remark, my good woman!"  
  
"People, people, stop!" Link said, in an effort to make peace. "This is just stupid! You're trying to keep Zelda and I apart just because you four are constantly battling and trying to say who is better! We can't be together because then it would reflect awkwardly on the lot of you, is that right?"  
  
"Son  
  


* * *

  
"Stop, I'm not done yet!" Link said. "All you guys know is that the Jones family has been in the business for a long time, and they were the first family act. Then we the Harkers came along and there was instant rivalry! It was just like you hated each other because there was competion! And don't try denying that there's no respect between you all! Mother, I'll kill you if I have to hear you say one more time that you wish you could act as well as Zelda Jones!"  
  
"Shut up, Link!" Shirley said, clenching her fists. "I never said that!"  
  
"Yes, mother, and you're always saying that you wish your hair was as curly as Shirley Harker's," Zelda pointed out. "I know that deep inside of you all, you wish you could get to know each other better. If you were constantly wearing this mask of hatred and jealousy that hid your true feelings, you'd never see what wonderful people you really are. Please just do this for us."  
  
"Do what?" Robert asked.  
  
"Let us do what we want," Link said. "I've never been taught that loving is a crime."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence then. Everyone was waiting for someone else to speak up. Finally, as soon as enough time passed for Greer to give another acceptance speech, Madeline spoke in a whisper:  
  
"We have been unfair, haven't we?"  
  
"You can say that again," Zelda snorted.  
  
"Robert, I believe I owe you an apology," John Paul said, reaching forward and extending a hand. "Temporarily, at least. It seems as if we have a wedding on our hands to plan."  
  
"Don't be silly, John," Shirley laughed. "Madeline and I will take care of everything!"  
  
"And if you believe that, I have a house to sell you in Texas," Robert told John. The lot of them laughed, then walked away talking and chatting.  
  
Link and Zelda stared after them. "I can't believe that just happened," Zelda finally managed to say.  
  
"It's like their character changed in just five minutes," Link said, bewildered. "But you aren't complaining, are you?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Zelda laughed. "We just ended a life-time long feud in a matter of minutes! Plus, we're getting married soon! What's to complain about?"  
  
"Absolutely nothing," Link said grinning. He put an arm around Zelda and started to lead her towards Greer's house.  
  
"And to think," Zelda chuckled. "That when I was about three, I began to despise your life, your existence, your being....but now I realize that it's a wonderful life."  
  
"You know, that sounds like a good name for a movie," Link said.  
  
"Suuuuuure."  
  
~THE END~  
  


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A/N: that ending really sucked, i know, u dont have 2 tell me. but u DO have 2 tell me wat u thought of my story!!! also, plz go 2 my bio page. i put up my ideas 4 future stories there, and i want 2 know wat u think!!! thanx, u've been a great audience!!!! 


	13. The Essentials

A/N: okay, everyone. I just thought of adding this a while ago, so...yeah.

Here's the explanation for this chapter: if you get the channel TCM (a.k.a. Turner Classic Movies), you know how the dude Robert Osbourne introduces all the movies at night. he also gets to talk with a lot of the stars (lucky!). So this is a chapter with him (well, actually, I changed his name to Bob), talking with Link and Zelda on their first work together. IMPORTANT And yes, this does take place much later, so they're both older. Not freakishly old and wrinkly, but .... yeah, old. That's important.

------------------Action, Bob-----------

"Good evening, everyone, I'm Bob Osbourne," said the announcer in a clear voice. "Tonight we have with us here Link Harker and Zelda Jones, helping us to celebrate our _Mad About Musicals_ marathon. In 1942, Link and Zelda both starred in their first motion picture together, the classic _Audrey And The City Thief._"

"Yes, and what a disgusting title _that_ was," Link snorted. "It didn't flow well."

"I didn't think it was that bad," Zelda laughed.

"Upon the film's release there was a rumor going around that you two had already been seeing each other," Bob said. "Is that true?"

Zelda sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I suppose you could say it was somewhat true. I mean, Link and I basically hated each other at the beginning of the project. But during production, I guess we .... well, we did start to see each other." She laughed. "I remember poor Greer Garson was so distressed that we would do something foolish and permanently tarnish our careers."

"It's a shame," Link said. "I don't mean to brag or anything, but no one seems to really remember Greer anymore. Gosh, what a sweet soul she was."

Bob turned to the camera. "Speaking of sweet souls; tonight you will be seeing a scene that was cut from _Audrey_, and has never before been shown. The scene is what would've been the film's first dance number, the main star of whom is a young woman named Din."

"Oh, Din," Zelda breathed. "That poor girl..."

"Mid-way through production of the feature film, Din was killed in an automobile accident," Bob informed the viewers. "She had been attempting desperately to avoid both American and Hungarian police forces, due to the fact that she had robbed a jewelry shop back in her homeland--"

"But she didn't do it," Zelda interrupted. "I don't think she ever got the chance to tell anyone else; but I _know _she never robbed that store. But because of one bloody good frame job, that girl's life was cut off much too soon."

"Of course," Bob said. "The cast and crew felt uncomfortable viewing Din's dancing number during their private screening of it, and they eventually had it cut. But thanks to Mr. Harker here, we still have the precious footage."

"Din was a very talented dancer," Link said. "I couldn't stand to see the only proof of her ability destroyed. So I asked Ganondorf Loxley for the reels, and he decided to let me keep them."

"Oh yes, Ganon Loxley," Bob said with a grin. "What was it like working with one of Hollywood's most infamous directors?"

"Ghastly yet wonderful," Zelda answered. "If you can believe it, I actually sort of found him attractive at one point."

"_What?!_" Link laughed in disbelief.

"He had a nice profile," Zelda shot back. "But I soon forgot about that old man once I became smitten with you ... especially after that awful first kissing scene he made us undergo."

"Tell us the story behind that," Bob said, smiling with anticipation.

"Well, Ganon knew that Zelda and I were both very anxious about our first on-screen kiss," Link began. "We felt the exact way our characters did. So he thought it would be a brilliant idea for us not to rehearse the scene at all, and to have it all done in just one take. I was so scared."

"You were scared?" Zelda asked in shock. "I was the one who had to kiss the man voted Movie News Weekly's most handsome actor of the _year_."

"Yes, well, I was the one who had to kiss the most popular pinup girl of the 1940s," Link retorted.

"While examining this film, our technicians unearthed a very interesting .... shall we say, circumstance," Bob said. "I don't believe this 'line,' Zelda, was scripted."

"Oh, heavens," Zelda sighed, putting her head in her hand.

The three of them looked at a screen playing a very famous clip from their movie. Link held Zelda in his arms just as he was about to kiss her. Then suddenly, the film's score was subdued immensley, and, though it was very muffled, they heard Zelda undeniably whisper Link's name.

"I can't believe you could actually hear that!" Zelda laughed.

"Well, you normally can't," Bob said. "But thanks to technology today, we were able to delete all the other sounds and turn up the volume of your voice."

"I was just so in the moment!" Zelda giggled. "Gosh, I feel like such a fool."

"You shouldn't," Link said.

"Speaking of new technology, you two have been taking a firm stand against most of today's R-rated films," Bob said, changing the subject completely. "Would you like to tell us your true opinion on the nature of the films of today?"

Link sighed and intertwined his fingers. "Frankly, Bob, I just think that ... the pendulum of censorship has swung so far since our time. Before, you couldn't even show a man and wife sitting in the same bed, even if they were both fully clothed and doing nothing but reading a book! And Godforbid a man should kiss his wife good-bye on the cheek while she's still sitting on a bed!"

"Yes, to be blunt, some of the censors were quite silly," Zelda admitted. "But there is such trash filling the world these days, it makes me pine terribly for old film. Now you can just go out and watch two naked people having sex on a big screen, and no one seems to really care. It's like Hollywood has been let loose, and they want everyone to know how beautiful their actors all are."

"Even the reputations of musicals have been tarnished," Link said with a hoarse cough. "Zelda and I were watching that _Moulin Rouge _the other day, but we had to stop in the middle. It was a good film, but they were really pushing the bar. Even more so than Mae West, I think."

"I believe that that Nicole Kidman is a lovely creature and has a very grand talent for acting," Zelda made clear, "but I do wish she did not stoop down to such lowly, vulgar films at times."

"I guess they just don't make musicals like they used to, do they?" Bob asked.

"They most certainly do not!" Zelda said. "Why, I think the last good musical that was made would be..."

"_Audrey And The City Thief_, wouldn't it?" Link asked.

"Now that's a film worth watching," Zelda teased.

"Fortunately for us, that's exactly what's on next," Bob said. "Ladies and gentlemen, sit back and relax, and enjoy this unedited version of the heyday's masterpiece; _Audrey And The City Thief_."

--fade into black--

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A/N: phew! that was kooky, wasn't it? yah, yah, i know. i just sort of randomly felt like writing that, so yeah... oh and by the way, if u at all liked this story, please read my other one entitled ''the women.'' it deals w/ the same era and is based on my fav. play! anyway, please review this!


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